Eternal Greed
by scud ripper
Summary: A few months after the Sanctuary events, Emilia's sudden meeting with the Witch of Greed causes the story's original route to shift to a new direction. As the wicked witch enacts her grand plan and makes her move, the mysteries of the world will begin to be unraveled. In this new route, only one thing is certain; this story will NOT have a happy ending.
1. The Intellectual Infiltrator I

**A realm of absolute darkness,  
** **A plethora of crystal shards floats throughout the empty space,  
** **The Sea of Fragments.**

 **"As I am the one versed with knowledge, heed my words well, mortal; it's useless. Everything is useless. Everything is meaningless. Everything is naught but pieces of a cruel game. Everything is already set in stone. That's why you should give up and submit to your fate. Resistance is futile." A haughty voice declared.**

 **Stars illuminate the void,  
** **Purple miasma encircled the crossroad of shadows,  
** **A teary-eyed girl was sealed and trapped inside.**

 **In a bloodstained wall, these very words were engraved,  
** _ **"You WILL reach your desired ending someday."**_

 **The corpse of a boy lay dead on the ground.  
** **His body was decorated with vicious wounds.  
** **In his deathbed, his lifeless eyes remained open.**

 **"So, don't you ever feel sad, don't you ever lose hope, don't you ever give up. Just like you gave me my happiness, you will soon find your own happiness. Please, I beg of you. Don't give up. Keep fighting... no matter what happens."  
**

 **A weak voice managed to say.**

* * *

 **The Intellectual Infiltrator I: Out of Nowhere, A Surprise Meeting**

* * *

When Emilia's eyes opened, she finds herself in what could only be described as a _magical world of white_.

A sea of white.

The same white as snow,  
The same white as porcelain,  
The same white as the smooth strands of a certain witch's hair.

With the exception of the cerulean skies, everything in sight is painted in white.

To start, she's surrounded by a field of knee-length ethereal white grass. Then, surrounding the grasslands, a majestic forest stood gracefully. Needless to say, each aspect of the forest is colored white; the trees, the trunks, the branches, the leaves, the flowers, and even the ground and dirt appear to be snow-like.

It was simply… _a magical world of white_.

For the half-elf, the scenery feels surreal, if not beautiful. She had never seen a place like this before. Does it really make sense for a place like this to even exist? The question is, where is she? And what exactly is this place?

The last thing she remembered was laying down her bed to prepare herself for a good night of rest. Besides that, she can't remember anything else. Did something happen while she was indulging in her sleep?

In any event, if something did happen, what about her knight, Natsuki Subaru? And what of the other residents of Roswaal's mansion? Are they safe? Are they also in this _world of white?_

Despite the bewildering circumstances, her kindhearted nature can't help but worry for others first before herself.

As she continues thinking about her present situation, a breeze of wind brushes against her hair, making them dance along.

Then, deciding to search for the answer instead of waiting for one, she was about to saunter towards the snow-white forests when a condescending voice asked,

"Hmmmmmmmm? How is it? Do you like it? Does this place make you comfortable?"

The voice sounded familiar to the half-elf.

It sent a slight chill down her spine.

It's a voice she hasn't heard in a while.

Once she turned around to meet the owner of the voice, her assumption of whom the voice belonged to turn out to be correct.

Standing with her arms crossed in front of her in all her glory, dressed in an elegant black tunic with white outlines, which is different from her usual funerary getup, and along with her long and graceful white hair, is Echidna the Witch of Greed.

The witch's lips curled into a wry smile.

"E-Echidna?!"

Since the conclusion of the Sanctuary incident, she never thought she would ever see the witch again. Yet, here she is standing in front of her in this strange, strange but beautiful world.

The Sanctuary incident... it's been three months since its conclusion.

The current expression the half-elf wore certainly doesn't conceal her astonishment.

"What's with that moronic look? It looks like you're staring at a ghost," asked the witch with notable sarcasm. "Well, to be fair, now that I think about it… technically speaking, as someone who already died, as a _wandering soul_ , do I count as a ghost?"

The stunned half-elf failed to enlighten the witch with a response.

"Or maybe, considering how much of an egotistic and arrogant rascal you are, is this your way of making a mockery of my _death_?"

"No! That's not it!" Emilia half-shouted to deny the witch's outrageous claim. "I would never mock something like that… not even you…"

In any case, it appears the Witch of Greed's demeanor towards her hasn't changed one bit… which means Emilia can expect countless harsh, abusive words hurled towards her.

Well, it's not like she hasn't gotten used to it. Somehow, it doesn't even feel _that_ bad.

Now that she has a moment to gather herself, she doesn't quite know what to make of the sudden appearance of the witch. The Witch of Greed didn't exactly leave a good impression on her and Subaru during the Sanctuary incident, to put it lightly. Although, unlike the latter whose goodwill towards the witch completely faltered during their final moments, she, on the other hand, doesn't dislike the witch. Somehow, she can't really dislike her for reasons she doesn't even know herself.

It's probably due to her kindhearted nature...

"W-what do you want? A-are you behind this? What is this place?" Despite her initial shock, she managed to bring forth the obvious questions.

"I will answer those," assured Echidna. "But first,"

With a snap of her fingers, a small roundtable with two cups of tea, and two chairs were summoned in the space between them.

"Sit."

She commanded using an authoritative tone that no one would dare refuse. Then, she proceeds to sit on one of the chairs before sending a sharp glare towards the hesitant half-elf.

"What are you waiting for?" She asked, observing the half-elf for any clues causing her hesitation. "Ah, but of course. She doesn't trust me. Understandably so. Kuku."

She mused to herself before turning back to the half-elf.

"Look, I despise you with all my being, and I would love nothing more than to see you torn apart into a million tiny pieces of skin, bone, and flesh."

Emilia was taken aback by the grotesque words of the witch. Although the witch sent a fair amount of insults and mockery in almost all their past interactions, this is the first time she entailed how she would like to see her die.

Her glimmering silver hair,

Drowned in a sea of blood,

Blended with her minced innards, bones, and skin.

A gasp escaped her mouth.

The disturbing imagery.

Unsettling. Scary.

"But for now, just this once, I won't bite. I'm only here for a _'_ little' talk. That is all," assured the witch.

"A… talk?"

The half-elf considered Echidna's words.

" _I'm only here for a 'little' talk."_

While she may be a naïve girl, she's not that naïve to believe the witch is only here for a 'little' talk without any wicked ulterior motive.

Echidna is, regardless whether it's self-proclaimed or not, the wicked Witch of Greed, after all.

Not to mention, she also keeps in mind what Subaru told her about Echidna. Although he left out plenty of important details, Subaru had told her about a certain precarious and mysterious contract the witch tried to trick him into accepting. Deceiving someone to bind them to a contract is something she would never accept, regardless of whatever that contract entailed. Furthermore, he also informed her of the cold and indifferent attitude Echidna displayed over Beatrice's tragic situation despite her involvement which led to that situation in the first place… along with some other transgressions.

She had rather been disappointed to learn of those. Although she knows Echidna's Greed isn't something to be underestimated, somehow, she expected better from her.

Regardless, she decided to play along for now.

"Very well…" She nodded, accepting the witch's invitation.

Thus, she occupied the empty chair.

"Well, why don't you make yourself comfortable?" Echidna gestured towards the cup of tea in front of Emilia. "Don't get me wrong, it's not that I want you to get comfortable. It's just that I have the obligation to be a delightful host for my guests, even if the guest is someone utterly repulsive."

Emilia pouted at the ill remark that was obviously intended to mock her, but she managed to ignore it. She has gotten quite adept at ignoring the witch's taunts and insults, if she says so herself, much to the witch's disappointment.

As previously stated, she's used to that treatment by now.

She gave the cup a look of extreme caution. She recalled Subaru telling her about the content of the tea Echidna tricked him into drinking. Upon remembering that, the half-elf can't help but feel perturbed. What if the cup contains the same content? Or even worse…

Echidna, seemingly knowing what's going through the half-elf's mind, frowned slightly and raised both arms in mid-air to express her innocence.

"I know what you're thinking. That boy told you about the stimulating treats I gave him, didn't he? In that case, I completely understand your concerns, but I can promise you I didn't put anything weird in that cup. And yes, while I do, indeed, agree that I'm someone who should be classified as 'untrustworthy,' let me assure you I _always_ hold my promises. Besides…" Her lips twisted into a devious smirk. "Watching you try and become the King of Lugnica, only for you to fail in spectacular fashion, and as you then wallow in your misery and swallow your tears… that will be more beneficial to feeding my amusement than let's say, putting poison in that cup or something of the sort and ending your pathetic life right here and then."

Emilia narrowed her eyes in response to the witch's admittance. She didn't have any doubt the witch would rather enjoy watching her failures than seeing her die in such an anti-climactic fashion at all. In other words, she's now certain nothing undesirable had been poured into her cup of tea. For all the wrong reasons.

And so, without any further hesitation, she grabs the cup's handle and takes a sip.

She takes a few moments to savor the taste.

Ringa (apple).

With hints of cinnamon and honey.

It's truly delicious.

Unable to help herself, she takes another sip.

And another.

And another.

And another.

Until the cup is empty.

"Did you make this? It's reeeally good," complimented Emilia.

"No." Echidna shook her head. "Why would I make anything decent for someone like you? I simply used a routine magic on a whim. Fortunately for you, it turned out well."

"Even so, thank you."

Emilia lets out her trademark kindhearted smile despite the outright denial, causing the witch to roll her eyes.

Now that she thought about it, she did wish to have a tea party with the witch someday. That was her parting words before she left Echidna's dream world in the Sanctuary. She doubted it would actually ever happen. But, right now… would this count as one?

"Soooo…" She started, taking in the beautiful scenery of the white world, while still savoring the delicious aftertaste of the tea. "Where are we? What exactly is this place, Echidna?" She reiterated her previous questions.

"You can say it's something akin to the dream world." Echidna began explaining.

"Dream…"

"Aren't dreams fascinating? You know, people everywhere have always pondered about them. Why do we dream? And what exactly are dreams? Are they memories of one's past? Recent experiences? Future? Regrets? Aspirations? Wishes? Desires? A combination of all of them? Or perhaps, could they even be the events of an alternate or parallel world? These are just some of the speculations that arise regarding dreams. But, in the case of the dream world, it's something like a product of one's imagination. Some may think of it as the maximum potential of something referred to as _lucid dreaming,_ I suppose."

"Someone's imagination… huhh, so that's what this is." Emilia placed a finger against her chin, pondering over the witch's words. "That's interesting to know. Is this another one of your dream world, then? It's different from the greenery last time. But, how did I even end up here again?"

"Yes and no. Yes, because this is a product of my imagination. No, because we aren't lodging around in my dream anymore. You see, this isn't the same dream world as the one in the Sanctuary. Perhaps, it's more appropriate to say this is currently your dream? I mean, considering our little encounter is taking place inside your unconscious mind, after all."

"M-my dream world?! Inside my mind…" Emilia analyzed her surroundings again. "But how? I don't recall I've ever imagined something like this… and besides, how did you get here if that's the case?"

"You can think of it as myself invading your mind and controlling your dreams... manipulating what we're currently seeing right now. I intruded your mind after you drifted into unconsciousness. Or something like that. Kuku."

"E-EH?!"

Basically,

Assuming what Echidna said is true,

Her privacy was violated... just like that.

Emilia didn't know whether she should feel disturbed or amazed.

"Soooo… we're communicating through my dream that you seized without consent… is that what you're saying?"

"Ah, yes. I sort of hijacked your dream, I suppose."

" _Hijacked?"_

Emilia has no idea what the word means, nor does she think she heard it being used before.

But,

Echidna currently has the look of a mischievous child who got caught doing something naughty, while Emilia held a scornful gaze. Ironically, it's usually the other way around between these two.

Regardless,

"Uhm… I think it's really weird, and I don't reeeally get it, but I think it's amazing how you can do this, Echidna… I mean, eheheheh, how is that even possible? I thought your influence only extends as far as the Sanctuary."

Ultimately, she decided it's alright to be amazed while feeling disturbed all at the same time.

"I beg to differ. There's nothing amazing about this. Let me assure you that I am nothing more than a mere powerless witch _who died a long time ago_. This is simply one of the loopholes I discovered within the laws of this world after spending centuries as a _wandering soul_. Nothing more, nothing less. In any case, the how's, why's, and whatnots that led to this 'little' meeting of ours don't really matter, do they? As I've already established, I'm only here for a 'little' talk."

Echidna clearly wanted to divert the topic away. The information regarding how she was able to form a link with Emilia's mind isn't something for the half-elf to know.

Not now, anyway.

"Okay, if you say so..." Emilia conceded.

Then, she smiled brightly.

"Whatever the case may be, I really like this place. It's sooo beautiful, you know. The white. I like it a lot. Sooo, if anything... thank you for showing me this beautiful 'dream'... I think."

"The white?"

"Yes. It's such a pure and delicate color. And despite its innocent nature, it also maintains unrivaled beauty, class, and grace."

"Hohhh?"

The witch's hallow black eyes closed upon hearing the half-elf's compliments. Her lips slowly curved into a deep frown.

"White, huh? Don't be ridiculous. Its purity and innocence are meant to be easily sullied and corrupted without resistance. What's so beautiful about it? It's weak. Frail. Feeble. Unlike the gleaming silver, there's nothing beautiful about the color white, Emilia…" She muttered quietly to herself.

The half-elf failed to hear her curious musings.

…

After a few minutes of awkward silence, while Emilia continues gazing at the scenery in wonder, the witch calls for her attention.

"Anyway, it's about time we get to the main point."

"Ah, that's right. There's that _liiiiittle_ something you wanted to talk about, right?"

"Yes. It concerns that boy, Natsuki Subaru."

"Subaru?!" Emilia exclaimed her surprise.

At first, she expected Echidna to talk about either the Trials, the result of the Trials, the liberation of the Sanctuary, the burning down of her library, or perhaps, even about Beatrice and Roswaal. Well, she also wouldn't have been surprised if the witch just wanted to continue insulting her, stating how foolish and naïve her goals are. And how much she hates her, of course.

However, Subaru being the topic of Echidna's discussion was one of the last things she expected.

Naturally, she knows about the brief history between the two after Subaru told her the details of the tea parties. So, they do have that connection even when things didn't work out between them in the end. But what could Echidna possibly want?

Is she still going after Subaru despite his refusal of that mysterious contract?

"Uhm… what about Subaru?"

"First things first. You have to keep in mind that what I'm about to tell you is something of great importance."

"Ehhh? How important?"

"It's _really~_ important. I just can't overstate how important it is! Ahhh~, you can even say it's life-changing information. Nothing will ever feel the same once you learn of it."

The half-elf's eyes widened in surprise, taking the witch's bait.

"It's that important?!"

"Hm. Hm. That's right." Echidna nodded a couple of times with a smug smile. "My point is, you do know well not to tell anyone else, right? Not even Natsuki Subaru. No, especially not Natsuki Subaru. Kuku. This is something we should keep between us. Call it 'girls' secret', if you will."

 _"Sooo… there's something reeeally important she wants to talk about Subaru, but she forbids me from telling it to anyone else… especially Subaru. What is she up to? There's probably a trick to all of this…"_ Emilia thought to herself, attempting to find a hint about the witch's intention.

"Uhm, Echidna. If you don't mind me asking, is there a reason why I can't tell anyone?"

"It's for your own benefit. Actually, it's for your own safety." Echidna smiled menacingly. "You know, if a certain witch finds out you know about this particular _little_ information, your life will be endangered. You'll die. She will kill you... mercilessly. So, you see, it will be reeeally bad if you do that~."

Emilia let out a gasp, unnerved by Echidna's words.

Although the witch didn't drop a name, Emilia has a hunch who she's referring to.

However, what does **The Witch** has to do with this? Especially concerning Subaru. She's quite surprised **The Witch** was even alluded to by Echidna in the first place.

"Again, please don't misunderstand my intention. I'm only warning you because as I've already stated, I don't want you to die in such an anti-climactic manner. It's not because I care about your wellbeing or anything. That would really be an utter embarrassment for me if you think like that. I just want to see your failures before you meet a dramatic end. That's all there is to it. Now, do we come to an understanding?"

"O-okay, I understand. I promise I won't say a word to anyone about this!"

Echidna acknowledges her promise with a nod.

Afterward, her expression turns serious.

"Well, then. With that out of the way, let me ask you; do you believe it's possible for an individual to return back to a certain point in time by dying?"

"Ehh?"

A look of surprise envelops the half-elf's face.

It's a strange question, to say the least.

But somehow...

It doesn't feel _that_ strange.

Somehow, she gets the feeling that "returning back in time by dying" happened several times already. Not necessarily by her, but someone close to her...

"Ahh, let us refer to such phenomenon as [Return by Death]."

Return by Death.

Return by Death..

Return by Death...

ReTUrN.

bY.

DEaTh.

And with those very words, "Return by Death," a notable shift in the atmosphere begins to take place. All of the sudden, the cerulean skies darkened, and they were replaced by a sea of pitch black. It was followed by the trickling of scarlet liquid throughout the white world. The pure whiteness of the grass, flowers, trees, and ground are now tainted with the color of blood.

It feels like the world suddenly started breaking down. If one is to imagine a 'tranquil' apocalypse from taking place, it would probably look something like this.

In any case, it's hard to tell whether the sudden change of scenery was due to the nature of the dream world, the malevolent imagination of the witch, or even the **!uNsTaBLe!** mind of Emilia herself.

But something vital resonated within Emilia upon hearing the term "Return by Death."

"Return by Death. REtuRn bY dEAtH. rEtURn bY dEatH. RETurN By DeAtH. deAth. DEatH. deAth. DeaTH. deaTH. deAth. DEatH. dEaTH. DEath. deAtH. deAth. DEAth. DEaTh. deATH. deAtH." She uttered the words silently...

Over and over again...

Unfortunately, she can't quite figure out where she heard those very words before. Or, has she even heard them in the first place?

Maybe it's all a product of her delusion…

DeLUsiOn. deLUsioN. DeLUsION. deLUsiON. deLuSION. DeLuSiOn. dELUsiOn.

She doesn't quite know what's happening anymore...

She does feel weird and fuzzy...

Maybe her vision is becoming a bit blurry...

Something in her heart feels weird...

The rate of her beating heart increases...

Growing louder by the second...

~~Dok, DOK! Dok, DOK! Dok, DOK! Dok, DOK! Dok, DOK! Dok, DOK! Dok, DOK! Dok, DOK! Dok, DOK! Dok,DOK!~~

It ached...

Too much pain radiated from her heart...

But...

She knows...

For whatever mysterious reason...

That somewhere out there...

There's a _looo~nely_ girl trapped inside the shadows...

A girl she **REPLACED!**

However, at this moment...

A black crescent-shaped grin appeared on Echidna's face who now appears to be a white shadow.

Amidst the pitch-black skies,

Amidst the white surface of the land that was tainted with scarlet,

Amidst the black and white backdrop with a little bit of scarlet,

With her crazed smile in front of Emilia,

The Witch of Greed appears to be a terrifying monster.

 **THE MONSTER OF KNOWLEDGE**

"That boy, Natsuki Subaru, is suffering from a truly intriguing phenomenon known as [Return by Death]. Ahhh~, yes, that's right. He can return by death," Echidna finally revealed.

Emilia grinned wildly as she stood up from her chair and began to twirl all over the place in joy, speaking in a song-like tone.

"SUbAru~. SUbaRu~. suBarU~. suuu~BarU. SuBAruu~. suBAA~rU."

 **"MY~."**

"LOVELY~."

"SUUU~BAAA~RUUU~."

"REtuRn bY dEAtH. rEtURn bY dEatH. RETurN By DeAtH."

"deAth. DEatH. deAth. DeaTH. deaTH. deAth. DEatH. dEaTH. DEath. deAtH. deAth. DEAth. DEaTh. deATH. deAtH. deAth. DEatH. deAth. DeaTH. deaTH. deAth. DEatH. dEaTH. DEath. deAtH. deAth. DEAth. DEaTh. deATH. deAtH. deAth. DEatH. deAth. DeaTH. deaTH. deAth. DEatH. dEaTH. DEath. deAtH. deAth. DEAth. DEaTh. deATH. deAtH."

"Ah hA ha HA hA HA ha Ha hA HA ha hA ha HA Ha ha HA ha HA hA ha HA hA Ha ha"

Emilia's vision fades into black as she loses consciousness within her already unconscious mind.


	2. The Intellectual Infiltrator II

**The Intellectual Infiltrator II: The Tragic Beginnings**

* * *

"How pitiful. Although there's absolutely no doubt that I hate you, it's still pitiful. But, I do wonder. What could possibly cause such an interesting reaction?"

Echidna wondered to herself as she looked down on the half-elf who's now laying down peacefully on the sea of white grass.

Her hallow black eyes are devoid of any emotion. A look of complete indifference. Even her apparent words of pity were monotonous and lacked any semblance of life.

Regardless, everything in sight remains the same before Echidna said the very words, "Return by Death." The scenery is still the same _magical world of white._ The skies didn't turn pitch-black. Nor were the pure white grasslands, flowers, and trees tainted with scarlet. Nor was there a terrifying crazed smile on Echidna's face.

It's still the "normal" state of the dream world.

Maybe those scenarios were really only happening in Emilia's perspective, after all.

"It's a mistake on my part for not considering this possibility, I suppose. Heh. But it's not like I'll apologize. As the wicked Witch of Greed, I'm exempt from doing something embarrassing like that. But even so, for you to suffer a pathetic mental breakdown upon hearing [Return by Death]... don't tell me you already…"

Letting out an exasperated sigh, she looks up the cerulean skies.

"But then again, maybe I shouldn't be this surprised, considering your great _potential._ You are supposedly _her_ 'replacement,' after all."

She let out a nonchalant shrug.

"Well, in any case, it can't be helped. At the end of the day, my intent hasn't changed."

A gush of wind blows against her hair.

* * *

After what felt like a long period of slumber, Emilia awakened to a rather familiar scene.

Based on the darkening orange skies preparing to welcome the night, the time is around twilight.

The place she awakened to is an area filled with worn out buildings. The shabby appearance of the buildings is further amplified by the overabundance of dust and the dead trees that span throughout the area. Moreover, the inhabitants were mostly dressed in dirty and ragged clothes. Overall, there's a dejected vibe looming over the place... the oppressed state of the populace can certainly be felt.

With these observations, she was able to acquire her current location; the slums of Lugnica...

... also known to her as the place where she first met the strange boy, Natsuki Subaru.

As for the reason why she suddenly awakened to this place after her encounter with Echidna… well, she wouldn't know the reason, would she? As of this moment, all she can really do is observe the situation.

She spotted several children hiding behind the corners of their house and alleyways. The adults had their spiteful gaze turned on a particular source. They seem to be alerted by someone's presence. It must be someone other than herself because no one appears to be paying attention to her… despite her standing in the middle of the road. In fact, it feels like no one is even alerted to her presence at all.

Due to her appearance that always stands out wherever she goes, it felt strange and unusual to be ignored like this. Hence, she traced where the slum dwellers' gazes were directed.

"Subaru?!"

She exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Subaru.

Naturally, her first instinct was to run towards him and greet him, but he doesn't appear to notice her even when she stood directly in front of him. She was expecting him to express his usual grin and say something really silly upon seeing her, but he's just flat-out ignoring her.

Was he ignoring her on purpose? Was there something she did?

Whatever it may be, coupled with the slum dwellers ignoring her, something definitely felt off about the whole situation.

She stretched an arm out to touch him.

But…

Subaru literally walked past her as if she wasn't there in the first place, phasing through her body like it was nothing… like the road in front of him was just an empty space.

Once Subaru passed her, she saw a girl walking behind him…

Emilia?!

What she saw was like a reflection of herself. A complete and thorough copy of herself; the same eyes, face, hair, body, and clothes.

The only difference… the _other_ Emilia still has the crystal necklace containing Pack…

She instinctively placed a hand on her chest where the crystal used to dangle. She couldn't feel it anymore.

It was a cruel reminder of what she lost…

"U-uhmm?"

In a similar manner to what happened with Subaru, the _other_ Emilia also phased through her like it was nothing... like the road in front of her was just an empty space.

"W-what's going on?!"

She turned around to watch their retreating figures.

They are heading somewhere, for sure.

"I guess I should just follow them for now…"

…

After following silently behind them for quite some time, she realized no one else in the vicinity can see her. Nor can anyone hear her. It's like she doesn't exist within the realm of reality anymore.

No one can see her. No one can her hear. No one can sense her presence.

She's just there.

Watching.

Observing.

Was this another one of the Witch of Greed's tricks?

Possibly…

As she deliberates her current predicament, Subaru and the _other_ Emilia suddenly stopped in the middle of a small wooden bridge.

Then, the _other_ Emilia closed her eyes, concentrating.

She began mumbling something to herself.

Afterward, a number of lesser spirits appeared, gathering around her.

She appeared to be communicating with them.

Subsequently, as the lesser spirits start to shine brightly around the _other_ Emilia, it gave her the look of an ethereal higher being.

It was a very beautiful scene.

Subaru was looking at her in complete astonishment, stunned by the beauty radiating in front of him.

A look of longing and desire enveloped his expression.

A desire to protect the beautiful half-elf.

His heart skipped a beat.

…

Once the _other_ Emilia finished communicating with the lesser spirits, she and Subaru continued on with Emilia following behind just as she had been doing. By now, the skies had turned dark. She didn't know where this will lead to, but it's her best option at the moment.

"Does she really live in a place like this?" She heard Subaru asked.

"The spirits said they saw someone who looked like Felt going in this direction." The _other_ Emilia replied.

" _They're looking for Felt?"_ Emilia thought to herself. _"Isn't she supposed to be with Reinhard?"_

Then, as they took further steps towards their destination, a slum dweller passed them by.

Subaru turned around to greet the man.

"Hey bro! Does a girl named Felt live up this way?!" He asked.

"Huuhh? Felt? Nothing that way but old man Rom's loot house. Haha, did Felt steal something from you guys?" The man asked cheekily. "Well, good luck trying to negotiate it back! Live strong."

Subaru and the _other_ Emilia look at each other in confusion.

" _Felt stole something again? Even after it was discovered she has royal blood... I don't think Reinhard would be too pleased about this."_

" _W-wait."_

Realizing something "coincidental" in her memories and the current situation…

" _This is… n-no way… it can't be…"_

…

Soon, they arrived in front of a building Emilia recognized as Old Man Rom's loot house. It's the very same loot house where she first met Subaru.

Subaru and the _other_ Emilia are currently engaging in a light-hearted argument. He was imitating her voice and manner of talking, and she joked about how he had actually been holding her back the whole time. Ultimately, Subaru decided he'll help her out no matter what and offered to do the negotiating to recover the stolen item.

The way the two are interacting… people would probably assume they're a cute couple.

"I'll go in first. You stay outside and keep watch." Subaru volunteered like a gentleman.

Then, he added in jest,

"I won't be out too late, but you can have dinner without me."

"Don't say silly things like that! Anyway, be careful."

"Sure, sure. Don't come in until I say it's safe, Satella."

" _Satella?!"_

This doesn't make sense.

The _other_ Emilia, or perhaps Satella(?), stared blankly at Subaru. There seems to be a hint of guilt based on her expression.

Subaru turned back and asked,

"What?"

"N-no. It's nothing." Satella(?) shook her head. "I'll apologize if you get my insignia back."

Subaru nodded and grinned before entering the loot house.

"SUBARU! WAIT! DON'T GO!" Emilia suddenly cried out.

Her words of warning were too late…

Besides, Subaru wouldn't be able to hear her anyway…

No one can see her. No one can her hear. No one can sense her presence.

She's just there.

Watching.

Observing.

She didn't even know why she tried to prevent him from entering the loot house in the first place. It's not like she knows what's about to happen, does she? It was simply her instinct acting up. A feeling that a tragedy is about to strike…

A feeling of familiarity…

 **Déjà vu.**

Satella(?) starts pacing back and forth as she waits for Subaru's signal. He sure is taking his time. She's starting to grow worried.

"…"

~~THUD! THUD!~~

Suddenly, banging noises were audible from inside the loot house suggesting a scuffle.

"Subaru? What's wrong?"

Upon hearing the sounds, Satella(?) immediately entered the loot house. Likewise, Emilia followed suit.

"…"

It's completely dark inside the building with the exception of a thin ray of light descending through a hole in the roof. But, no traces of Subaru were visible.

"Subaru?"

"…"

"Grkkk… no… krhhh… run away, now!" Somewhere within the darkness, Subaru's voice managed to warn despite his apparent trouble speaking.

Nevertheless, Satella(?) ignored his warning and kept on looking.

~~SWISH!~~

Without warning, Satella(?) was assaulted by someone within the darkness. Hence, she crashed against the ground near where the thin ray of light poked through.

Tracing where the light rested against, Emilia found them…

What lied in front of her was pure horror.

She gasped and covered her mouth with both hands, terrified by the horrifying sight.

Subaru and Satella(?)'s bodies were slumped against the ground next to each other, a puddle of blood surrounding them.

Subaru willed a hand forward until it landed on top of Satella(?)'s lifeless hand.

"Just wait… I… I will… save you!" He promised before succumbing to his wounds.

"…"

An eerie silence filled the lifeless house.

Then...

Tok tok~.

Tok tok~.

Tok tok~.

The sound of footsteps methodically made their way towards the corpses.

"Heh heh heh, now then, let's see how beautiful your insides look, shall we?" Another voice, an alluring one, expressed with maniacal excitement.

Both dead bodies were rudely turned around by someone's boots, exposing their front view and the gruesome slashes on their guts.

~~SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!~~

Their guts were slashed repeatedly until they were further opened, their innards spilling out of their body.

"HeheheheheheheheHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH! HOWW BEAUTIFUL~!" The killer's tongue made slurping sounds as her breathing grew heavy.

Repulsed by the scene, Emilia turned around and ran out of the loot house.

She ran out of the slums.

She ran out of the capital.

She kept running, running, running and running.

Tears stream uncontrollably out of her eyes.

* * *

In **this reality, Emilia has never been able to apologize for lying about her name and calling herself "Satella."**

 **In this reality, Subaru knows only of the kindhearted half-elf named "Satella," not Emilia.**

 **In this reality, Subaru and "Satella" died next to each other with their hands held together.**

 **This was the very first time [Return by Death] was activated**.

* * *

After what felt like a long period of slumber, Emilia awakened to a rather familiar scene.

In this iteration, she still found herself in the slums at around early noon.

Similar to the previous iteration, she saw Subaru heading towards somewhere. Fortunately, the wound on his gut was gone. This time, however, the _other_ Emilia, or perhaps Satella(?), wasn't with him anymore.

"SUBARU!" She cried out.

She charged towards him and attempted to embrace him. She wanted to provide him with a much-needed comfort after she witnessed the gruesome fate that befell him. However, just like last time, she just phased through him... like she doesn't even exist. As a result, she stumbled and crashed on the ground.

"Ow…"

She clutched her scratched knees which collided against the rough ground.

"Why?"

A tear escaped her eye.

"W-why is this happening… what's going on…"

As evident by her aching knees, she doesn't seem to have a problem interacting with the physical world. But why can't any living creatures see her? Why can't they interact with her? Most importantly… why is she being forced to witness the demise of Subaru?

"I guess I just have to keep following him…"

…

Eventually, he ended up in the same place as before; Old Man Rom's loot house. However, unlike the previous time, someone greeted him after he frantically knocked on the door; the grumpy owner of the loot house, Rom.

After he was invited inside, Subaru asked a string of strange questions such as…

"Have you died recently?"  
"Have you seen a silver-haired girl?"

Of course, Rom was baffled and bemused by the questions. But in the end, he answered "no" to both.

Then, the two engaged in a rather amusing back-and-forth conversation as Subaru tried to negotiate a stolen item, revealed to be a dragon insignia. His negotiation bait included a strange snack contained inside a small plastic container named "Corn Rotage." Unfortunately for him, Rom ended up eating the entire pack, curious and impressed by its flavor.

" _The very same dragon insignia I lost on the day I met Subaru…"_ Emilia thought to herself after she picked out the keyword, _insignia_ , in their conversation.

Afterward, she slumped against one of the tables, not really paying attention to the exchange between the two anymore.

She's still not certain about what's going on. Though, she may have picked up clues by now…

The cruel and wicked nature of whatever this "game" is… the way she's being "forced" to watch.

" _Who else could it be? This must be a trick of Echidna. Echidna's trick. A trick of Echidna. Echidna's trick."_

She murmured to herself over and over again.

After a moment of respite, Subaru and Rom waited for the arrival of the insignia theft herself, Felt, to continue the negotiations.

Continuing where he left off, Subaru introduced an unusual metia called a "cell phone," which he claimed can freeze a moment in time, as a bargaining chip.

After proving its worth by putting it into action, in which he showed how a rapid flashing of light can really capture several moments of Rom and Felt "frozen in time," Rom agreed that the value of the so-called "cell phone" is worth at least 20 holy coins, more than that of some mere insignia with a beautiful gem.

By all means, the negotiations should have been concluded right here and then with Subaru taking the insignia in exchange for the cell phone.

But…

There's to be another negotiator for the insignia… and Felt is determined to make as many holy coins as possible.

Luckily or unluckily, Subaru didn't have to wait long as the recent knockings on the door signaled the arrival of the other negotiator.

Just in time.

Felt dutifully got up to open the door for the newcomer, eager to find out if she can squeeze out more coins.

A captivating black-haired lady wearing clothes that left half of her chest and midsection exposed entered the loot house.

There's a certain aura about her that suggests she's someone extremely dangerous. In particular, her perilous eyes and her unsettling hidden smile indicate the horror that's about to take place.

Unfortunately for the other participants inside the loot house, they remain ignorant about the threat the lady in black possessed.

Which is why…

"SUBARU! RUN! GET OUT OF HERE!" Emilia suddenly stood up from her chair as she cried out in desperation.

Unfortunately, no one heard a word she said. After all, to these people, _she doesn't exist._

No one can see her. No one can her hear. No one can sense her presence.

She's just there.

Watching.

Observing.

There's nothing she can do.

And so, a slaughter occurred.

…

…

…

Subaru, Felt, and Rom's dead bodies lay on the ground. Their guts were brutally slashed and ripped apart.

Emilia crashed on her knees, tears flowing down her face.

"T-T-This is…"

Sob.

"This is my fault."

Sob.

"S-Subaru…"

Sob.

"H-he was doing this for me…"

Sob.

"To recover the insignia I carelessly let get stolen from me…"

Sob.

"H… he… he…"

Sob.

"Because of my negligence, he suffered another terrible end…"

She stared in horror at his corpse, his mangled midsection is all there for her to see.

"My fault…"

"My fault…"

"My fault…"

* * *

After what felt like a long period of slumber, Emilia awakened to a rather familiar scene.

The scenery is around early noon in the middle of the capital city. The streets were crowded in a typical bustling day.

"WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! SATELLAAAAAA!" A gruff delinquent voice, belonging to Subaru, yelled out.

A silver-haired girl stopped on her tracks upon hearing his words, her head downcast.

Likewise, every other citizen within the vicinity stopped on their tracks, staggered by what they just heard.

"Please don't ignore me! I guess it's my fault for going off on my own and not listening to you! But I was desperate! I went back to the loot house after that, but I couldn't find you." He voiced his case.

The silver-haired girl turned her head half-way.

"I'm sorry for thinking only of myself. But I'm glad you're all right, Satella." He smiled in relief.

Satella(?) fully turned her head to face him. Despite his kind and honest words, she appeared extremely annoyed.

"What's your problem?" She asked with her eyes narrowed.

"Ehh?" He let out a dumbfounded noise, confused by her sharp reaction.

He certainly didn't expect her to react like this. He expected her to be glad to see him… to jump straight into his arms and embrace him upon seeing him safe and sound. Instead, he was met by the harsh reality.

"No… that's not it…" Meanwhile, Emilia was quietly murmuring to herself as she watched the scene. "P-please, this is a misunderstanding. H-he didn't…"

"I don't know who you are. But calling me by the name of the Witch of Envy… what is your problem?!" Satella(?) continued, ignorant of Emilia's presence, and therefore unconcerned about her regrets.

Stunned, Subaru was unable to form a reply.

What happened? Why is Satella(?) reacting like this? He died twice for her sake! In order to help her out! Just what… exactly did he do wrong other than failing in his honest attempt to save her?! What did he do to deserve this cold treatment?! Why isn't he being showered with praise and words of affection instead?!

These sorts of questions emerge in his mind.

"Why did you call me by the name of the Witch of Envy?"

"B-because I was told to."

"I don't know who told you that, but they have terrible taste! The Witch of Envy is the epitome of taboo, and you call me by her name, which most dare not even say!"

"That's right!" A random person in the crowd agreed.

"You went too far, bro!" And so did another one.

Subaru continued to be befuddled, unable to say anything. And since he's too dumbfounded to even explain himself, the silver-haired girl whose name was definitely not "Satella" considered their conversation over.

"If you have nothing to say, I'm leaving. I have things to do."

True to her words, she began walking away.

Then, unaware of her surroundings, Felt suddenly came out of nowhere and swiped something off her pocket before dashing and disappearing elsewhere.

The girl immediately searched her pockets and realized someone of great importance was missing.

Further annoyed than she already was, she turned back to Subaru.

"Were you stalling me?! Are you working with her?!" She accused.

Certainly, in her perspective, the whole act looked like a deliberate attempt to steal the insignia.

"N-no!"

With nothing else to say, the girl gritted her teeth and chased after Felt.

"Hey… wait a minute! It's not like that! I'm!-" Subaru tried to reason but it was far too late.

With no other choice, he chased after her.

…

…

…

Before Emilia's eyes laid Subaru's lifeless body on top of a puddle of blood with a knife stuck on his back.

He's dead.

Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.

Indeed, there's no getting around it. He's dead.

"If only I hadn't lied to you about my name… then… this wouldn't… i-if I… if only I was honest with you from the very beginning… then…"

"This can only be my fault… I'm solely responsible for your death… because of my carelessness… because of my negligence…"

"My fault…"

"My fault…"

"My fault..."

And so, [Return by Death] was activated once again.

* * *

After what felt like a long period of slumber, Emilia awakened to a rather familiar scene.

Fortunately, this time, she's deeply familiar with the events in this iteration. Therefore, this must be "where she came from."

Recollecting her memories about what happened in this particular iteration, assuming everything goes the way she remembered, Subaru, Emilia, Felt, and Rom should all make it safely past the encounter with the assassin.

Hopefully, things would end the way she expected it to end; Natsuki Subaru's first successful loop.

...

As Subaru and Felt continue negotiating over the insignia, the silver-haired girl arrived.

Her sharp amethyst eyes scanned the room for the insignia-theft. Then, a tense standoff between her against Subaru, Felt, and Rom took place.

Subaru tried to clear the misunderstanding. Unfortunately, because he couldn't explain the circumstances involving [Return by Death], his attempt didn't achieve a lot. Moreover, the girl was unyielding. And seemingly convinced that the insignia-theft was among them, she summoned ice shards. Not that she intended to really hurt anyone. She only meant to threaten and intimidate so she could recover the insignia without causing any injury.

Then, out of nowhere, the assassin Elsa arrived and interrupted the party without warning. Thankfully, Subaru managed to call out and alert Pack right in time to shield the silver-haired girl from Elsa's blade.

And so began the dance to the death that culminated with the arrival of the Sword Saint Reinhard.

Ultimately, the red-haired knight managed to defeat Elsa with ease, but the assassin survived and escaped.

With the disaster now avoided and all of the party involved seemingly well and alive, the occasion would normally call for a well-deserved celebration.

Crediting Subaru for saving her life, the silver-haired girl allowed herself to grant him a "reward."

Of course, he chose to ask for her real name.

Up to now, he had only known the kind-hearted girl as either "Satella," or "the silver-haired girl." So, as of this moment, there's nothing more he wanted than learning the real name of the girl who made his heart skip a beat.

"My name is Emilia. Just Emilia." The girl revealed her name with a gleaming smile.

This served as the very first time Subaru knew of her as "Emilia," rather than "Satella."

It was a joyous and momentous scene… at least, it looked that way on the surface.

Regrettably, the euphoric moment didn't last long for Subaru. He suddenly collapsed to the ground, revealing a cut to the gut he suffered while shielding Emilia from Elsa.

Once the wounds he sustained came to light, it was agreed that Emilia took care of Subaru. On the other hand, Reinhard forcibly took Felt away. At the time, Emilia didn't know the reason why. She was even wary of Reinhard's intent, seeing how intimidating he looked. As it turned out, the Sword Saint suspected Felt to be of royal blood and the fifth and final candidate for Lugnica's throne. In the end, his suspicions proved to be correct.

With the [Dance to the Death] event now concluded, it was Subaru's first successful loop.

* * *

After the deadly battle with Elsa, Subaru was taken to Roswaal's mansion to have his wounds treated. It took around three days for him to regain his consciousness. After his recovery, he somehow ended up working as a butler in the mansion.

Once he started his work as a butler, he was mentored by one – no, two maids.

Twin maids, to be exact.

As for their names…

" _Ram and…?"_

Emilia wondered to herself as she watched Subaru struggle with his chores, while the apparent twin maids were scolding him.

She recognized and knew the pink-haired twin Ram. But as for the blue-haired twin _ _ _...

" _Ah, that's right. She's the sleeping blue-haired girl Subaru always takes care of…"_

" _This must be when she was still awake, but I don't remember her in my memories… there's only Ram."_

" _What… is her name again?"_

...

Throughout the course of the week, despite some arguments and banters here and there, he had gotten along quite well with the mansion residents – Emilia and Pack, the Margrave and lord of the mansion Roswaal, the girl at the library Beatrice, and the twin maids Ram and _ _ _.

However…

The scenes have notable differences from the ones Emilia was familiar with in her memories. For instance, the scene where Subaru rested and broke down on her lap was nowhere to be found. It goes the same for other scenes, usually either showing a contrast or not appearing at all.

Which means…

The "world" she's observing right now will not have a happy end.

It will end in tragedy.

After going through several iterations, comparing and contrasting the different "worlds," she came to the conclusion that the events consistent with her memories must be the ones that have a "happy end" considering Subaru didn't suffer any horrific death from the "world" she belonged to. The inconsistent ones must be the ones that will end in his eventual deaths.

Such is the nature of the ability known as [Return by Death].

But alas, regardless of her feelings, regardless of the tragedy that's about to happen in this iteration, she's continuously forced to watch the inevitable tragic death of Subaru.

 _"What a cruel and unfair method..."_

With these depressing thoughts in mind, she continued watching Subaru and Emilia under the night skies. The scenery was illuminated exquisitely by Emilia's communication with lesser spirits.

Due to his busy work as a butler, they haven't had many chances to interact. This was one of the rare opportunity he has the chance to do so.

Emilia lightly poked him on the head. Thereby, he allowed himself to fall on the grass. Then, she sat on the ground beside him.

Afterward, the two gazed at the moon, admiring its unreachable beauty.

"You just don't get it, Emilia-tan. I want what I want at that exact moment, and I want it from the bottom of my heart."

"At that time, I wanted to know your name. In a new land, nervous and unsure of the future, I had no expectations for tomorrow. Looking back on it calmly, I'm sure there were other things I should have wanted."

He explained to her after she called attention to his apparent lack of ambition. For example, when he asked for her name as a reward when he could have so much more. Or when he chose to become a butler in the mansion instead of taking the fortunes offered by Roswaal.

Then, as their conversation drifted into the village kids, Subaru used the pretense of "revenge" against the "cruel" village kids that troubled him to ask Emilia on a date. Straightaway, she refused as she believed being seen with her would cause him problems. However, he persisted, and after he exerted some pressure, she agreed.

" _I see. So there was something like this too… this was supposed to be my first true date…"_

A tingling sensation arose from her heart.

" _A precious memory…"_

A tear trickle down her face.

" _That was rendered void…"_

Indeed, this was supposed to be her first true date… a date that will never come to fruition.

After paying a visit to Beatrice and then subsequently getting kicked out of the library, Subaru went to bed overjoyed due to earning a date with his "EMT."

Unfortunately, in this iteration of the world, he would never wake up again.

* * *

After what felt like a long period of slumber, Emilia awakened to a rather familiar scene.

Sadly, after watching and observing the events in this iteration, it's still not the world she's familiar with. So, taking into account her observations of the other iterations, like last time, Subaru will once again face his inevitable death.

The events in this iteration more or less followed the same path as the previous one. Or at least, that's what Subaru intended to do.

With his life ended mysteriously during his sleep, Subaru desperately tried to follow the last iteration's events, while trying to uncover the cause of his death at the same time. Furthermore, he hoped to eventually arrive at the same conclusion, earning a date with Emilia.

Unluckily for him, because of his desperation to replicate the last iteration, a lot of his actions come off as forced and unnatural. Therefore, it's suspicious.

Natsuki Subaru is suspicious.

 _A suspicious clown._

Both twins, Ram and _ _ _, especially _ _ _, agreed as they secretly observed him from a distant.

Meanwhile, as Emilia was being continuously subjected to the torment of watching Subaru's misfortunes, she felt an unbearable amount of sadness and regrets.

The way he was trying so hard was truly difficult for her to watch. Throughout the whole time they had been together, she had no idea just what he was going through.

To say "ignorance is a bliss" would be a gross understatement.

" _Subaru… y-you're working so hard… so hard…"_

A set of tears escape her eyes.

" _You've suffered so much… you don't deserve this… no one does..."_

She tasted the saltiness of her tears when they slid down her mouth.

" _This is too cruel… too cruel…"_

She wiped them off but more came.

" _While you went through so much pain and misery, here I am living in ignorance… unaware of your sufferings…"_

" _I'm really sorry… for all the pain I caused you… I-I'm so sorry… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"_

" _This is all my fault."_

 _..._

In order to uncover the cause of his death, Subaru stayed awake, waiting for the assailant who must have killed him in his sleep. Confident that he took care of everything to reach this point, he's ready to give retribution against the bastard who screwed with his date with Emilia.

Of course, things won't exactly happen as he hoped.

Because moments later, he started struggling around. Clearly, he was in pain. But, what could possibly be the reason?

Soon, he fell on his knees as he continued struggling.

"S-Subaru?"

No one can see her. No one can her hear. No one can sense her presence.

She's just there.

Watching.

Observing.

But even so, she continued calling out his name in vain.

"Subaru?!"

He stood up from his bed, stumbling all over the place.

Holding his mouth to prevent himself from vomiting, he made it out of his room. It's useless, however, because he ended up throwing up anyway.

" _Was it poison from his food? Wait. No. A curse. It must be a curse. For whatever reason, I just know…"_

As he continued stumbling around in the darkness, he reached the halls. Then, another pair of footsteps was audible.

The footsteps of a different person.

And along with it…

 **The sound of chains.**

The blue-haired maid, _ _ _, slowly made her way towards the stumbling Subaru.

The intent to kill in her eyes was evident.

"N-no, p-please… d-don't…" Emilia begged.

It was hopeless, but she continued trying anyway.

What was her name again?

"R… R… R…"

Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it.

"R…"

R _ _. _ e _. _ _ m. _ _ _. R _ _. _ e _. _ _ m. _ _ _. R _ _. _ e _. _ _ m. _ _ _. R _ _. _ e _. _ _ m. _ _ _. R _ _. _ e _. _ _ m. _ _ _. R _ _. _ e _. _ _ m. _ _ _. R _ _. _ e _. _ _ m. _ _ _. R _ _. _ e _. _ _ m. _ _ _.

"Re…"

Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it.

R _ _. _ e _. _ _ m. _ _ _. R _ _. _ e _. _ _ m. _ _ _. R _ _. _ e _. _ _ m. _ _ _. R _ _. _ e _. _ _ m. _ _ _. R _ _. _ e _. _ _ m. _ _ _. R _ _. _ e _. _ _ m. _ _ _. R _ _. _ e _. _ _ m. _ _ _. R _ _. _ e _. _ _ m. _ _ _.

A sharp hissing voice urging her to "say it" and scrambled letters overwhelmed her mind. In fact, they were all visualized eerily in her mind…

... because **she already knew the girl's name** , of course. Subaru had even told her. And even if he hadn't, **she should still know her name.**

"REM!"

"PLEASE DON'T! STOP IT! REM!"

"STOP!"

No one can see her. No one can her hear. No one can sense her presence.

She's just there.

Watching.

Observing.

Thus, because she wasn't able to do anything, half of Subaru's face and upper body was mutilated by the spiked ball and chains.

Half-dead, Subaru squirmed and crawled around the floor in pain.

"SUBARU!"

Emilia kneeled beside him and attempted to heal him. But of course, it was useless.

Hopeless, she gave up trying to heal him and stood up, glaring at Rem with intensity.

She summoned countless ice shards and viciously sent them flying towards Rem.

Useless, once again.

They just phased through the maid's body like they weren't even there at all.

"REM! PLEASE! STOP!"

Her cries fell on deaf ears.

More ice shards summoned. More useless results.

She knew it's a HELPLESS situation and there's ABSOLUTELY nothing she can do.

Still, there MUST be something she can do to help him.

Whatever it is.

Just something she can do.

She pleaded.

But the cruel gods just laughed at her pleas, ignoring them.

Thus, Subaru died once again.


	3. The Intellectual Infiltrator III

" **I was the most unfortunate.  
I knew that there was no exit out of this maze.**

 **Then, he was the next unfortunate.  
He did not know that there was no exit out of this maze.**

 **But all the rest weren't so unfortunate.  
They didn't know that they were in the maze in the first place."**

 **\- _r_d_r_c_ B_r_k_s_e_**

* * *

 **The Intellectual Infiltrator III: The Sea of Fragments**

* * *

When Emilia awakened, she found herself floating.

She was surrounded by a vast space of darkness that was only illuminated by the floating crystal fragments shaped like a diamond prism.

After some time, she finally finished watching and observing EVERYTHING that happened since the arrival of Natsuki Subaru from another world.

His first death at the hands of the assassin Elsa. The loops when he was killed by Rem and then Ram. The time when he jumped off the cliff and committed suicide for the first time. His fight against Julius leading up to his argument with Emilia. The emotional moment when he carried Rem's lifeless body in his arms before Pack severed his head. His struggles against the White Whale and Petelgeuse. The number of times he committed suicide after Rem's name and memories were eaten by the Archbishop of Gluttony. All of his struggles and trials during the Sanctuary incident. The Kiss of Death scene when Emilia kissed him as he was devoured by the Great Rabbit. His triumph against Garfiel. The Contract Echidna tried to forge with him.

The happy times, the sad times, his success, his failures, his triumphs, his tragedies and of course, each and every one of his deaths.

She had seen them all.

Although, it wasn't all bad. After all, it was only through all of his pain and suffering that Subaru developed to be a decent man worthy enough to become even her knight. It was all thanks to the hurdles he overcame, the lessons he learned, and the trusted bonds he forged during his time in Lugnica. They were what shaped Natsuki Subaru to become the man he was today.

And then, of course, there's the elephant in the room she avoided thinking about; Rem's relationship with Subaru.

It goes without saying, the development of Subaru and Rem's relationship didn't escape her observations either.

The two had gotten off to the worst possible start with Rem's suspicions of Subaru leading to less-than-desirable situations. But once they got past that deadly barrier, Subaru became Rem's hero and their relationship only bloomed from there.

"Fanatical like a demon."

"Rem's hero."

They became a special person to one another.

Before Rem's name and memories were eaten, a rather intriguing conversation took place between the two.

Rem stated that she would be content if she became Subaru's second wife after Emilia. Basically, she just wanted to be with him. Likewise, Subaru seemed to be content with that arrangement as well. Thus, filled with excitement, Subaru wanted to discuss that particular matter with Emilia, hoping she would agree. Unfortunately, that "talk" never materialized because tragedy struck, and the unfortunate Rem was erased from history.

But one has to wonder, if that "talk" did happen, how would the half-elf respond?

"A second wife. Am I reeeally going to be okay with it?" She asked herself. "Heheh, would it be too selfish of me if I want to be Subaru's only wife? Am I going to be in the wrong if I deny him the happiness of marrying another person he loves... just because of my selfishness?"

She doesn't know how she would have responded either. On one hand, she wants to grant Subaru's happiness. And if marrying as many women as possible makes him happy, then so be it. But on the other hand, she doesn't like it for one reason or another. A part of herself keeps telling her not to accept something "disgusting" like that.

Anyway...

Before she even witnessed the loops, she already knew how important Rem was to Subaru judging by how much care and effort he put into taking care of her unconscious body. But perhaps, she might have underestimated the extent of her importance to him. She never knew the girl held such a special place in his heart.

Well, it was only natural. The times when Rem was there to support Subaru's burdens after his argument with Emilia at the capital. The pain and torture Rem endured for Subaru's sake. Her role in helping him find his resolve when he was lost and confused. The way she pushed him through and gave him the determination to "restart from zero" again. All the "lovely" moments they enjoyed together...

She can't help but feel…

 **Envious.**

"Huhhh… then, in that case, I wouldn't be any different than Satella, would I?"

Speaking of Satella, she learned the notorious half-elf was the one responsible for Subaru's Return by Death. And as one might expect, she also learned of Satella's "love" for Subaru.

She saw the brief moment they spent together in Echinda's dream world during the Sanctuary incident. And to put the black-dressed half-elf's feelings into perspective, she was crazily in love with Subaru. Maybe the Witch's "love" for him is arguably even stronger than Emilia's and Rem's.

"You're quite the charmer, aren't you, Subaru? Sooo many people like you... some even love you..."

However, Satella's "love" didn't make any sense.

Unlike Rem's, Satella's "love" for Subaru felt implausible considering some factors.

For example, under normal circumstances, there's no way for the two to have ever met. Satella's time was 400 years ago. Subaru had just arrived less than a year ago. How is it possible for the Witch to have fallen in love with him in the first place?

But then again, that's only assuming the situation is under normal circumstances. After everything she had witnessed, she knows well enough just how abnormal the circumstances really are. Return by Death? Subaru's time loops? The Witch Cult? Her meeting with Echidna? And now, she's even floating in the middle of nowhere. Not to mention, there are crystal fragments floating everywhere. Everything was abnormal and outrageous. So, maybe it shouldn't be that much of a surprise that Satella fell in love with Subaru despite being 400 years apart in time.

Love... as they say... has no boundaries. And based on this situation, even the boundary of time and space don't stand a chance against the power of love.

The question is, how did they meet? When did they meet? When did Satella fell in love? And more importantly, for what reason did Satella gave Subaru [Return by Death]?

Finishing up her musings on Rem and Satella's relations with Subaru, she looked around the vast space populated by the crystal fragments.

She didn't exactly know what the fragments are, but they seem to be the device that allowed her to observe Subaru's various loops. For instance, each fragment contained one loop's memories. Each and every one of Subaru's loops can be observed by touching the corresponding fragment that contained the specific loop's memories.

Throughout all the time she felt like in slumber, she was actually floating in this vast space until she moved on to the next fragment. It's just that she wasn't able to recall being here during the first few loops. It was only after some time when she finally gained awareness.

Anyhow, it's all too surreal and puzzling for her at the moment. Some of the fragments even contain "alternate" realities.

There was a reality where Subaru became the [Dark Lord] and burned down Lugnica. There was a reality where he became the [Purge King] and was responsible for 100,000 deaths. There was a reality where he accepted Echidna's Contract and became her experimental toy. And of course, there was a reality where Subaru ran away with Rem and together, they became family and had children…

Did… each of these "alternate" realities really happen? Or were they just cruel jokes created by someone?

Failing to find an answer to her questions, she sighed and moved on.

Finally, after some time, she loses consciousness.

* * *

When she awakened, she found herself back in Echidna's magical world of white. It took her some time to adjust to the almost-blinding silent beauty of Echidna's "realm."

It appeared everything remained the same since she initially lost her consciousness. Echidna is still sitting on her chair, sipping her cup of tea like nothing happened. Regardless, the witch immediately took notice of the half-elf's return.

"You're back. Did you enjoy your little vacation?" She asked in a mocking tone.

"It was far from pleasant, but I did learn some VEEERY interesting things. So, it was ultimately a worthwhile vacation, _I suppose_." Emilia shot back in almost the same mocking manner.

Her snappy response surprised even the half-elf herself. Although it was always her naivety and stubbornness that annoyed the witch, she never had been intentionally aggressive with her words. At least, not until now.

Perhaps, it's the effect of having seen A LOT of unpleasant things when she was forced to observe the different loops. Maybe… it affected her outlook.

"Aren't you being awfully lively?" Echidna noticed that change as well. "I suppose it's not really a surprise considering your egotistical and arrogant nature."

"Echidna." The half-elf started in a solemn tone, closing her eyes. "Just now… those time loops, those memories, those fragments… S-Subaru's deaths… what are those?"

After everything that happened, she doesn't have time for the witch's games and insults.

Right now, more than anything... she just wants answers.

Fortunately, after letting out an exasperated sigh, it appeared the Witch of Greed complied with her wish.

"Hohhh? You want to get straight to the point, eh? How diligent of you. Then, if you're ready, I shall begin."

The witch paused briefly before continuing on.

"That place you've been to, the vast space with the diamond prism-shaped fragments, it's called [The Sea of Fragments]. Assuming you're not a complete imbecile, you should have already figured out that each fragment you saw contained memories from Subaru's loops, yes?"

The half-elf nodded meekly.

"Yes. I figured as much."

"As expected. You saw the fragments which contained his memories from his various loops because you were naturally drawn towards them. But the entire Sea of Fragments doesn't only contain Natsuki Subaru's memories and the alternate realities created due to Return by Death.

In fact, all the fragments you were able to observe are only minuscule among the countless other unseen fragments that contained other realities. Altogether, they're contained within one singular fragment I like to refer to as [The World Where Everything Restarts from Zero]. But to keep it short and convenient, let's call this fragment [The World of Re:Zero]. Basically, to further simplify, you may think of the World of Re:Zero as one whole universe. And each fragment nested inside the World of Re:Zero fragment contains countless different realities, possibilities, and memories. Natsuki Subaru's memories from his time loops and some of the alternate realities were the only ones you saw during your little vacation.

But, beyond the World of Re:Zero fragment, there's another plane of existence where other countless fragments contain their own universes and realities. You may think of them as other universes, different from our own. However, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Anything beyond the boundary of our universe is irrelevant at the moment… assuming _uninvited guests_ from the outside doesn't pay us a _visit_ any time soon _._

Okay, while I did say anything beyond our universe is irrelevant, that's not entirely true. There's a certain neighboring fragment that influences our world in some ways. I like to refer to that neighboring fragment as [The World of Mankind]. It's the universe where Natsuki Subaru came from. That fragment is the closest and floats parallel to the World of Re:Zero. It's a universe different from ours where magic doesn't even exist. That world is rather boring if you ask me. It does have its own charms and interesting points, however.

As for how it affects the World of Re:Zero? Well, there are times when an individual from the Mankind fragment is _pulled_ and _summoned_ to this world. It usually happens near every 400th-year mark. And there's usually a reason why they're summoned… In this case, Natsuki Subaru was _one_ of the individuals who was _chosen_ for this cycle.

Moving on, as you should already know, the Witch of Envy had given him the ability Return by Death. The ability rewinds time so Natsuki Subaru can avoid his death and achieve a scenario that witch wants. Actually, I have a problem with the name Return by Death. It's very misleading, because, you know, like I said, it rewinds time... so, Natsuki Subaru **DOESN'T** have to die for time to rewind. It all simply depends on the Witch's whims. She can rewind time as much as she wants. But at the end of the day, I suppose the name doesn't really matter, does it? Ahaha...

Anyway… as much as I would rather not compliment that thing… it's impressive how she managed to create an ability like that. I thought something like that would violate the rules of this world and therefore, it shouldn't have been allowed… but apparently not... hm, how interesting, indeed.

So, that concludes it, I suppose. With that said... any question?"

After Echidna's long explanation, Emilia didn't exactly know how to react. So, she asked the first question that popped up in her mind…

"How… how do you know all of that?"

It's not that she doubted Echidna's words, but the information is hard for her to take in. It would be hard for anyone to take in. This world or universe, called the World of Re:Zero, contains infinitely many realities and possibilities? Furthermore, there are also other worlds different from the one she knew of? And every one of them is contained within crystal fragments… Furthermore, people from another world are being summoned to her world? Why? Who summoned them? And for what reason? There's also the issue of Return by Death. Once again, just why did Satella give Subaru Return by Death? What is she trying to achieve by doing that?

It's completely absurd...

Everything is completely absurd...

There's nothing "normal" about this. As she thought, everything is completely abnormal.

Although... regardless whether Echidna is being truthful or not, _these are the knowledge that should only be known by the gods_. It's not something a mere witch should know about... even if they possess a ridiculous amount of curiosity.

However, if what Echidna said really is true, then... it felt like she carelessly stepped into the world of the gods.

 _"But wait... wait a minute..."_

How could she forget?

She actually has proof that supported Echidna's claim. After all, she was in the Sea of Fragments just a while ago. And, just like a god, she was going around various fragments, observing the memories of a boy and even alternate realities. What happened to her matched what the witch said about the fragments.

Thinking about it... unsettles the half-elf. She can feel her body tremble slightly.

"I'm afraid I can't answer how I come to know of it. If I do so, I would have to expose my farcical past life, which I would REALLY rather NOT expose to YOU. As you're an object of my hatred, I'm sure you understand, right? Although, I'm going to be generous enough to give you a hint. Let's just say a certain magical book of mine played a crucial role. It was simply the catalyst that pushed me to pursue the TRUTH of EVERYTHING. And then, ultimately… I became something like a _traveling witch._ "

" _Traveling witch?"_

Emilia can't help but feel there's something more to that term. If anything, Echidna should be something like a _ghost witch_ considering she's _supposed_ to be dead, but she referred to herself as a _traveling witch_ instead. There's an ominous ring to it. What could it possibly mean?

"Fine…"

Nevertheless, the half-elf conceded, knowing the witch won't say anything more about this issue.

"In any case, as overwhelming as infinitely many universes, realities, and possibilities might sound, it's not as glorious as it seems. For instance, most fragments are annoyingly similar and lack drastic differences. A lot of times, it's something as minuscule and useless as a person choosing a different path to get to the same destination. Or whether a beggar decides to endure starvation or steal or kill. There are even a lot of fragments that are completely identical. It's like they were created via the 'copy & paste' method. Hahh... to find the interesting and amusing fragments, you have to put an unbelievable amount of effort in your search. Which is why Natsuki Subaru's Return by Death is something like a holy grail for a _traveling witch_ whose thirst for curiosity can never be satiated. Due to his accumulation of 'experiences,' observing him provides great entertainment value every single loop. Will he learn from his previous mistakes? Will he finally reach his short-term goal? Or will he succumb to death and die pitifully again? Ahhh~, seriously... an incompetent fool such as Natsuki Subaru is truly the best type of fool a bored witch can ask for. Kuku."

The witch ended her explanation with a longing smile.

What... did she just say?

Emilia's expression suddenly darkened.

She felt her heart race... definitely not out of excitement but something else.

Her dangerous, piercing glare landed on the witch.

"Great entertainment value? That's how you feel each time he suffers?!" She asked sharply. "When his body continuously endures pain… over and over again… when he cried… when he broke down… you see them as nothing else but entertainment?!"

Ah, she remembered watching the Witch of Greed's attempt to form that despicable Contract with Subaru… along with the alternate reality in which he did accept that Contract. Furthermore, after witnessing the pain Subaru endured through all his time loops… hearing the witch speak like that…

It made her blood boil.

That was the reason why her heart raced. It wasn't because of excitement. It was because of anger.

Hence, for the first time, she felt genuine dislike towards the witch.

"Is he nothing else but a toy for your satisfaction?! Can't you understand the pain he went through?! Don't you feel any sympathy for him?!"

"I don't expect an ignorant child like you to understand. For a _traveling witch_ such as myself, the threat of the witch-killing disease known as boredom is a peril like no other. In fact, it might very well be the only thing that can kill a _traveling witch_. So, if you also consider my insatiable thirst for curiosity... satisfying my curiosity in any way and repelling the disease known as boredom... that is my one and only purpose for existing."

Emilia clenched her fists.

With each word that comes out of the witch's mouth, her feelings towards her only go downhill.

"I don't care about any of this _traveling witch_ nonsense! Y-you're acting like this because you're bored?! You want to play with people's lives because you're bored?! You… you… I guess you're also the one who sent me to watch all of those loops! Is that right?! If so, for what reason did you do that?! To satisfy your curiosity?! To make me suffer from my guilt?! To make me suffer for my helplessness?! For my incompetence?! To laugh at my feeble attempts to do something for him?! Was that your aim?! To ease your boredom?!"

The half-elf is quickly losing her composure, aggravated by the witch. Her temper has reached an unprecedented high point.

"K-k-kuku… h-ha-haha-hyahaHYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" ~~ahahahahaha!.wav~~

The witch simply laughed.

"No, you're wrong… unfortunately. But believe me, I would have gladly done that myself for the same reasons you explained. However, it turned out I didn't need to do something as mischievous as that. All I needed to do was say 'Return by Death.' Kuku. Hmmmmmmmm? Would you like to know why? Why hearing about 'Return by Death' sent you to your little vacation?"

"W-why?" Emilia bitterly swallowed her pride.

"Ohhhhhhhhh? You really don't know? Isn't it obvious?" Echidna grinned menacingly, toying with the half-elf.

"I have no idea! Tell me!"

"Kuku. Well then, allow me to be generous and give you a hint once again. Have you ever wondered about your connection to Satella, the Witch of Envy? Why the two of you resemble each other? Kuku. The answer to your question rests within figuring out your connection to that thing."

"My… connection to Satella?"

It's not like she hadn't thought about it before.

Why does she share exactly the same appearance as Satella?

She had asked herself plenty of times before.

Not to mention, because people usually related and likened her to the witch, perhaps, there may have been some time when she thought she was actually Satella herself…

Certainly, it's been a mystery that dwelled within the depths of her mind for a long time.

However, she had never seriously thought about it.

So… what is exactly her connection to Satella?!

"Curious, are you?" Echidna continued on, clearing enjoying the half-elf's confusion. "Curiosity is a wonderful thing, you know. It's the very element that drives advancement and innovation. The drive to learn something new. The drive to move forward. On the other hand, the lack of curiosity can rather be detrimental. For example, one without curiosity may be an individual who's stuck inside their own shell. They may forever want to dwell inside that shell, forever satisfied by their ignorance. Afraid of reality, afraid of the truth. So, they avert their eyes away from them."

She rested her cheeks on top of her palm, staring at the half-elf with obvious malice.

An impish smile appeared on her face.

She hoped the half-elf would understand her "message."

"With that in mind, just a little bit… are you beginning to understand how wonderful curiosity is? Why my thirst for curiosity… Can. Never. Be. Satisfied."

Emilia sighed a little.

Somehow, she managed to calm down... just a little bit.

"I will never understand how you think like that… to treat people like they're mere fictional characters who only exist to satisfy your endless curiosity… it's wrong… it's wrong… I will never understand. Anyway, I take it you don't intend to tell me about my connection to Satella?"

"Hmm, right. That is something you have to find out for yourself. Besides, wouldn't it be more interesting and worthwhile if you work hard to obtain the truth rather than having it handed down to you on a silver platter?"

"Yeah. I suppose you're right…"

As much as she hated to admit it, she agreed with the witch.

"So, what now? To be honest, I just want you out of my sight at the moment... some of the things you say... it's just... hard to bear..."

"That's funny. That's exactly how I feel each time I see you. Now, you know my pain. Well, it's been fun but I guess it's about time to send you back to your fragment. Hmm... Aren't you excited to go back? Are you looking forward to seeing Natsuki Subaru again? How would the _lessons_ you learned affect your everyday life, I wonder? Kuku."

"My fragment?" The half-elf asked, slightly dumbfounded.

Then, she gasped, realizing something.

Throughout the whole time since her so-called little meeting with the witch… how long has it been? It felt like she's been away for ages…

Does the passage of time in this "realm" flow the same as the one in her world? For example, if the total time she spent here amounted to a number of months, would that mean that the same number of months have passed in her world?

Or maybe, hopefully, time stopped in her world while she was here?! And then it would continue on after her return.

But...

WHAT IF IT DIDN'T?!

What if the mansion residents thought she died during her sleep or something?! What if she was pulled out of the elections because of it?! Or what if Subaru keeps killing himself over and over again, wondering why and how she died?! It would be an endless cycle of death!

HE COULD BE IN TROUBLE AT THIS VERY MOMENT!

"I HAVE TO GO BACK NOW! AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!" She suddenly yelled out.

"Aren't you being a little hasty? I would have like to serve you dessert for all the troubles I caused you, at the very least. But if you're really in a hurry, then you can just forget about the dessert. You're a big girl who makes her own decisions, after all. There's absolutely nothing I can do about it. Kuku."

"… Thank you… for being so kind and considerate..."

Echidna rolled her eyes and snapped her finger.

A fragment materialized out of thin air, slowly proceeding towards Emilia.

"You will return to your world as soon as you make contact with that fragment." The witch explained.

Emilia nodded and reached out an arm to touch the fragment. However, before that, she pulled her arm back and she stared at Echidna once more.

"Uhm… Echidna… I don't really know what you intend to do. Or why you even told me about Return by Death. And all these things about the fragments... I don't know if it's supposed to help me or if there's some devious intent to make me suffer. It's impossible to know what you're thinking."

Her expression grew sharper.

"But believe me… whatever it is you plan to do… whether you turn out to be an ally or enemy or even both… I will be ready for you. I, [The Witch of Frost], SWEAR IT ON MY NAME!"

"Hmm? Very well. I shall take that as a warning."

The witch closed her eyes and nodded, acknowledging the half-elf's words.

Then, Emilia turned her attention to the fragment and grasped it with her hand.

The body of the half-elf gradually disappeared… a sprinkle of ethereal glow swallowed her body before methodically bursting into nothingness.

"Hmph."

The witch took a sip out of her tea, watching the half-elf disappear.

Then, she raised her head, staring at the empty chair in front of her.

"So, what did you think? Were you entertained... my beloved friend?"

She asked, seemingly to no one in particular.

But then, a blue-haired girl with empty, emotionless purple eyes suddenly materialized on the empty chair in front of her.

"... Hm... it's passable. I still don't understand the rules of this game... or your intentions. Although, I get the feeling this isn't like a typical gameboard."

The voice of the mysterious girl sounds even more empty and lifeless than Echidna's.

"It isn't. I won't even call it a game in the first place. Until now, [ **the territorial lord of this fragment remains asleep]**." Echidna started explaining to her mysterious guest. "She has been asleep for who-knows-how-many-cycles but [ **she definitely set up a go-ahead-and-find-me-if-you-can riddle before her slumber]**. However, I can tell you that the powers of a voyager witch are severely limited in this territory. [ **It can't be turned into a game]**. [ **We have to abide by the magic and fantasy rules of this world]**. It's one of the absolute rules... probably to prevent a voyager witch from invading and twisting people's fates for fun."

"I see. I don't know if this fragment will keep my interest for long, but I'll stick around for now. Ever since the last game I've played, boredom has tortured me endlessly. All I ask of you is to entertain me, my beloved friend Dona."

"Hohhh... but if I entertain you too much, there's a possibility you would interfere and join the fun. That would be problematic, even if you're my beloved friend."

"Dona. That's rude. I intend to remain on the sidelines and play the role of an observer. I don't intend on ruining my wonderful friendship with you. I'm just glad you're still alive."

"My. Your words truly touch this broken heart of mine."

"Hmph. If anything, you better hope that pink stalker of mine doesn't invade this territory."

"Pink stalker? Kuku. That's a rude thing to say about your lover, you know."

"..."

"Anyway, would you like some tea, Lady _e_n_a_t_l?"

"Of course. Give me the usual. Dried plum tea. The one that sells for 200 yen each."


	4. The Intellectual Infiltrator IV

**Intellectual Infiltrator IV: The Comforts of Reality**

* * *

Emilia groggily raised her upper body from her bed. However, her body is screaming for her to lay back down and sleep for a little bit more. It's certainly an enticing proposal, but she remembered there's something she has to do. So, she was forced to dispel the idea of indulging sloth and placed herself in a sitting position.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly opened her eyes…

And what greeted her was a sight to behold!

It isn't that she found herself floating within the Sea of Fragments. It isn't that she found herself in an alternate reality or a doomed timeline. It isn't that she found herself within Echidna's white realm.

Instead, she found herself inside of her room… like how a normal person SHOULD wake up.

Her normal, elegant, comfortable room...

She never thought she would ever be this happy and relieved to see it.

"Finally, some normalcy… heheh." She said with a bitter chuckle.

Unfortunately, before she can even think about celebrating the wonderful realization that she woke up inside her room, she remembered there's still that something she has to do. What was it she has to do again?

"Subaru!"

Memories of the final moments of her "dream" suddenly came rushing inside her thoughts. Then, she got up her bed and ran out of her room.

"Subaru?!" She called out in the hallways.

But no one answered her call…

The hallways were empty...

Panic slowly began to set in…

She continued her search around the mansion.

Empty hallways upon empty hallways…

Empty rooms upon empty rooms…

She searched and searched…

But she didn't find a single person…

She searched and searched…

Opening the doors of the rooms… then shutting them close…

She searched and searched…

And still didn't find anyone…

Nervous… panicking… tense...

She searched and searched…

To no avail...

WHY IS IT SHE CAN'T FIND ANYONE?!

What if… what if…

"Good morning, Emilia-sama."

A stoic voice suddenly greeted her, snapping her out of her anxious state.

"Eh… heh?!" She gasped in surprise, turning to the source of the voice.

She sees Ram standing down the stairs of the main hall.

She didn't even realize she reached the main hall already. She wasn't really paying attention to where she was as she furiously searched the mansion for any signs of life.

But… SHE FINALLY FOUND THE FIRST SIGN OF LIFE!

RAM!

There's Ram. That's really Ram, right? She's not just an illusion or anything, right? She can interact with her, right? She won't just phase through her if she tries to touch her, right?

This… THIS IS REALITY, RIGHT?!

"Ah, ahahaha… good morning, Ram… uhmm, is that really you?"

"Yes, I am Ram, Emilia-sama. Who else could I possibly be?"

"Ahh ahahaha… that's a relief… uhh-uhmm, what time is it right now?"

"It's early morning. The sun has just risen."

"I see. But uhm… uhmmm… by the way, why weren't anyone inside of their rooms? I tried looking for anyone, but I couldn't find any person. Did something happen?"

"…"

Ram slightly tilted her head to the side, wondering why the half-elf is asking strange questions. Regardless, she continues providing answers.

"Everyone else has already awakened, Emilia-sama. Besides, this is a rather large mansion, is it not? Even if, let's say, every mansion resident is still inside their room, it would still be a difficult task to find anyone. As a faithful servant of this mansion, I can attest to that."

"O-oh… I see… ahahaha, you're right. W-well… may I ask another question?"

"Go ahead."

"How long have I been sleeping? Did anything weird happen in the previous day? O-or the previous days for that matter…"

"You have been sleeping from roughly around the usual time you sleep at night until you woke up this morning, Emilia-sama. And unless something happened I'm not aware of, I don't recall any weird occurrences yesterday. Or the previous days before that."

"R-really?"

"Yes."

"Thank goodness... hahhhhhhh..."

With this, Emilia feels like she can finally take a deep sigh of relief.

She's able to gain back a little bit of calmness and composure.

Based on what Ram said, it appears time did stop as soon as she entered Echidna's white realm during her "dream," after all.

But, in her point of view, it felt like it took a total of several months before she finished watching Subaru's loops. It's baffling how only a few hours have actually passed in the real world while all of that was happening.

Echidna may be mean and cruel, but her abilities are certainly praiseworthy.

In any case, Emilia still has a rough start to the day, to say the least.

Her head still feels like spinning after rampaging around the hallways.

Not to mention, she suddenly realized just how strange the questions she asked Ram must have sounded.

Flustered, she tried to laugh it off.

"Ahahahahahaha… I apologize for the weird questions. It's just that I reeeally had a strange _dream_ last night. I wanted to confirm if I made a safe return to reality."

"Hm. I see. You didn't have to explain. It's not in my place to judge you, Emilia-sama."

Emilia gave the demon maid a sincere smile to emphasize how truly apologetic she was.

"Thank you… Ram. By the way, where's Subaru?"

"Barusu? He's in the courtyard playing with his new toy."

"Thank you!"

She quickly expressed her gratitude before taking off towards the courtyard.

Meanwhile, Ram is staring at the space where Emilia disappeared into with her typical neutral expression...

"How strange. Should I inform Roswaal-sama of this?"

* * *

"GRRR!" Subaru growled, tightening his grip on the whip he's holding. "I SWEAR I'M GOING TO HIT YOU THIS TIME!"

He charged forward with eyes full of determination. When he was within the striking distance of his target, he stretched his arm outwards, preparing to swing his whip.

"BASTAAAAAAAARD!"

Despite his aggressive move, the man who's wearing a black butler uniform and a monocle on his left eye, Clind, the target of his whip, calmly kept his cool and easily dodged the whip's strike by twisting his body backward.

Afterward, Clind regained his normal standing posture. And with a swift motion of his hand, he struck Subaru across the chest with a whip of his own.

"OW! OW! OW! Haghhh! haghh! hahhh!"

Subaru took a quick step back, grasping the sharp pain in his chest. Even though he is wearing his recognizable tracksuit, the strike of Clind's whip still managed to cut through his skin.

"Uh-uh." Clind wagged a finger as if disciplining a child. "A whip is not meant wielded by strength and recklessness alone, but also with control and a sound mind. Composure."

"Alright… alright… I get it! Control! Control! I gotta control the direction of my strikes!"

Subaru readied himself again, showing Clind his undying determination.

"Heh. If you have not tire yet, then come at me again. Rematch." Clind welcomed his challenge.

Thus, Subaru charged again…

And they engage in seven more skirmishes…

In which Clind won all seven.

In spite of Subaru's one-sided losses, it's wasn't all hopeless. Not at all. There were some instances when Subaru almost landed a hit had Clind not been on his guard. Surprisingly, it appears he did understand the lesson, after all. He's been trying to implement more control in his strikes as he gained more understanding and experience on how to properly utilize the whip.

Clind surmised that after a few more training, he will be able to finally land a hit.

But for now, Subaru found himself down on the ground, defeated and exhausted.

"Heh heh. That concludes our training today, Natsuki Subaru-san. I will now be greeting Roswaal-sama. Farewell."

And with a graceful bow, Clind left the scene.

"OYYYY, BOSS!"

A rough, youthful voice yelled out.

Garfiel and Frederica, who were watching the training, approached Subaru.

"T'was a lil pathetic, boss. Ya gotta do bet'r den that!"

"Geez. That three-eyes is such an annoying show-off." Frederica stated with a huff. "Are you alright, Subaru?"

"GAHHHH! I'm fine, I'm just fine! I'm totally fine!" Subaru tried to convince them. "I'll get that bastard next time!"

"Yes, you will. Go ahead and wipe that smug smile off his face, Subaru!" Frederica encouraged… for all the wrong reasons.

"Uhuh! You got that right!"

"Whip him across the face! Kuh hihihihihihi!"

"Whoaa… ya look a lil scary, sis."

A sweat dropped on Garfiel's forehead as ominous vibe radiated from Frederica.

Then, another voice joined the scene.

"Subaru? What happened? Who did this to you?"

It was a sweet melodic voice, perhaps, belonging to an angel, that gently and sweetly tingled Subaru's auditory senses.

A voice that belonged to his "Emilia-tan Maji Tenshi."

"Are you hurt anywhere, Subaru?"

Subaru let out a mischievous smile and then…

"GAHHHH! OWWW! IT HURTS! IT HURTS A LOT! AGHHHHHHHH! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! ONLY EMILIA-TAN'S HEAVENLY LAP PILLOW WILL BE ABLE TO SAVE ME FROM DEATH!"

He rolled around the ground, greatly exaggerating his injury. It was like a fish was suddenly thrown into dry land.

"You're such an idiot!" Frederica smacked him on the head. "You totally had a different reaction when we asked you if you're okay! Liar!"

"Wailin' nd screamin' like that! Ya embarrassing me, boss!" Garfiel complained.

Emilia stood flustered. She didn't really know what was going on.

"I'm unaware of what happened here, but I shall reward you with my lap if you deserve it."

"Oh, he's been training with Clind since this early morning. Hahhh. That showoff certainly didn't go easy on him…" explained Frederica.

"Boss been gettin' bettr each time tho! T'il be a mattr of time before he kicks ass!"

"Ah, I see."

" _That's right. Ever since Subaru became my knight, he wanted to become stronger. So, Clind has been teaching him how to wield a whip. This was something I should have known naturally, but I guessed I've forgotten about it a little after that 'dream' I had."_

She smiled sweetly and nodded.

"I see. He's been working very hard. Hm. Very well. I shall reward you for your hard work, Subaru. You deserve it."

"OH, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! WITH THAT, YOU HAVE SAVED ME FROM DEATH'S DOOR! EMILIA-TAN MAJI TENSHI!" Subaru cried out in tearful joy.

"Heheh… you're so silly, Subaru."

She sat down beside him and gently placed his head on top of her lap.

Feeling the soft touch of her skin, he closed his eyes, savoring the moment.

"U-uhm… I guess it's time for us to ditch and leave these lovebirds to themselves, Gar. Our presence here is not needed. Geez."

Frederica, who was a feeling a little awkward and out of place, quickly advised to Garfiel.

"Ahahaha, yah. Guess yer right."

And so, after the half-siblings bid their goodbyes, Subaru and Emilia were left alone to themselves.

She started caressing his hair with her soft, gentle hands.

He welcomed the gesture, further immersing himself in Emilia's grace.

She missed touching him like this…

She missed him a lot…

It may have been only a few hours in reality, but to her, it felt like months.

All those times in those memory fragments where she was unable to touch him... unable to talk to him... unable to help him...

After that hellish experience of helplessly watching everything he's been through, it can't be expressed into words how happy she is to see him like this.

"Hey, Subaru… it's been hard, hasn't it? It's been really hard…"

"No, not at all! I've never had this much fun in my life! I became your knight and I've been learning these crazy moves and even learning how to wield a weapon! I wanted a sword, but a whip is cool too, I guess. Okay, it's kinda unusual for a dude to use a whip in fantasy stuff, but whatever! Haha! Either way, I never imagined something like this would really ever happen to me! So yeah, I'm grateful and everything! Sure, it hasn't always been easy. I have to fight and struggle like hell to get where I am today! But, every single one of the struggles I endured… I DON'T REGRET ANY OF THEM! I have you to myself now, after all, Emilia-tan! Hehe!"

He didn't really know what compelled him to blurt out like that, but he always feels comfortable to freely express himself every time he's with Emilia.

It's just unfortunate telling anyone about Return by Death is strictly forbidden. If only telling anyone about it doesn't result in tragedy... If only he can tell her about it, then surely, they can find a way to work together and it would make his situation easier for him.

Ironically, he doesn't have any idea that Emilia had just recently learned about Return by Death. Likewise, Echidna warned her not to tell anyone or the Witch of Envy might come out and kill her.

So here they are, stuck in a situation where they can't tell each other of the knowledge they both already possess. And that is why, they will unknowingly cause each other grief and pain in the future... ignorant of what the other must be going through. But, that is a story for another time.

"What happened to Rem and how I wasn't able to save her the first time still hurts a lot. But that's alright… because if I wasn't able to save her the first time, then I'm just going to try again and save her the second time! If I can't save her the second time, then the third time, the fourth time, or however long it may take. But... I'M DEFINITELY GOING TO SAVE HER!"

"Heheh, you can't talk about another girl in such an inspiring manner, Subaru. But, hm. I understand how you feel. There's no doubt… that you're definitely going to save her."

"Ohhh? Don't tell me you're jealous, Emilia-tan. Hihihihihi!"

"Maybe… just a little…"

"Eh?!"

Subaru was taken aback by her answer. He didn't expect her to be actually jealous… even just by a little bit.

Has he underestimated her feelings?

In any case, it could make his proposal to take Rem as a second wife a _liiiiiiiiittle_ bit more complicated.

For now, it's probably best to dismiss this topic. He might need to rethink a new strategy.

Hence, the two engaged in the comforts of silence.

After a while, Emilia decided to speak again.

The more she spent time with Subaru, the more she caressed his hair… the more she remembered the awful experiences he's been through.

Her heart wrenched upon remembering those horrific scenes.

The way those frightening scarlet red slowly filled his body…

Over and over again. In a cycle of trial and error. To overcome or to die.

And some of those horrible deaths were caused…

By her very own reckless actions.

Guilt slowly ate at her... her heart feeling constricted.

"Hey, Subaru? It's been really hard, right? It hurt a lot… it must have hurt a lot… no, it really hurt a lot... didn't it?"

"That again? I already told you everything's just fine, Emilia-tan. I became your knight and I have you by my side. I'm happier than I've ever been!"

To add to his conviction, he let out his trademark arrogant-esque grin.

"Liar… don't lie… it hurt a lot… didn't it? It hurt… it hurt… it hurt… it hurt…"

"Eh? What are you talking about, Emilia-tan?"

"Everything you've been through… IT'S UNFAIR! Sorry… I've been unfair to you… I've really been unfair… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… it hurt… it hurt a lot, didn't it?"

She kept repeating again and again like a broken record. He began to grow worried about her sudden change of mood.

"What's wrong, Emilia-tan? I don't understand. Did something happen?"

"It hurt… it hurt… it's unfair… it's unfair… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

"Huh? Sure, everything hurts. I won't lie. IT HURT LIKE HELL! Honestly, there are times when I feel like I'm just walking naked in hell or something like that. I won't lie. I'm still scared as hell of getting hurt! But seriously, I don't regret anything other than what happened to Rem. Anyway, you're really starting to scare me. What are you even apologizing for?! You didn't do anything wrong! Seriously, what's gotten into you? Tell me everything."

"It's…"

Sob.

"It's…"

Sob.

"It's just… it's just…"

Sob.

"… Emilia-tan?"

She couldn't contain them anymore.

Tears burst out of her eyes.

"OY, OY! Why are you crying, Emilia-tan?! Who made you cry?! Who did it?! I SWEAR I'M GOING TO MAKE THAT BASTARD SORRY! I don't give a damn who they are! No one makes my Emilia-tan cry!"

He sat up and embraced the crying girl, placing her head directly against his chest.

Emilia had done her best to keep her emotions in check. After all, if she had shown Echidna her weakness, she would've given the witch even more incentive to continue with her mockery and insults.

But now that she's alone with Subaru, she let it all out. All her emotions that have been building deep inside… all the tears that were threatening to spill… she let it all out.

"I had a bad _dream_ …" She whispered silently. "It was a really bad _dream…_ "

"Shh… shh… it's okay… it's okay… everything will be okay. So, don't worry about anything, alright?" He reassured her, tightening his embrace.

"Subaru… you're really a brave boy…"

"And it's all thanks to you, Emilia-tan. It's all because I want to protect you. That's why you don't have to worry about anything. I'm going to protect you… NO MATTER WHAT!"

"Hmm mmh…"

She shook her head.

"No, Subaru. I won't let you stand alone anymore. I won't let you do anything by yourself anymore. This time, I'm going to be the one protecting you."

"W-what do you mean by that?"

"I won't let anyone hurt you. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe."

"Hahahaaa… you know, for a girl saying this to me, it's kinda embarrassing. The guy's supposed to be the one doing the protecting!"

"Well… how about we protect each other instead? And everyone too. We shouldn't just rely on one person to protect and save everyone… it isn't fair…"

"Of course, of course."

"PROMISE ME!"

"Huh?

"Promise me you won't do anything reckless by yourself anymore!"

"I-I promise… haven't we already gone over this before though? You know, the Sanctuary trials…"

"Yeah, but I just want to make sure… y-you know how seriously I take promises… right, Subaru? So please, don't break this promise, okay?"

"H-haha… of course not! Guaranteed!"

He grinned and gave her thumbs up.

"To see you this riled up and everything… it was a really terrible dream, wasn't it?"

"It was, Subaru. It was."

And so, the two of them continued embracing each other.

Unaware…

Unaware of the despair that's about to come in the near future.

Will they be able to withstand it?

Only time will tell.

* * *

Emilia retreated back to her room at night. She had quite an eventful day, spending most of them with Subaru.

Just the two of them.

While she still hasn't recovered from the impact of learning about Return by Death and the fragments, talking with Subaru healed her mind a little bit.

She had almost forgotten that it's most important to treat each moment as if they are an important treasure. After all, you never know when the moments of peace might suddenly disappear.

She softly pushed the curtains of the windows to the side, looking up to the alluring moon in the night sky.

"It's beautiful…" She whispered to herself. "It's really beautiful… even if its beauty is unreachable. I won't be able to reach it simply by stretching my hand towards it. It's way far out of our reach. I guess its beauty was meant to be admired from a distance… but wouldn't it get lonely if there's no one who can reach it?"

Her gaze shifted to the stars.

She had always admired the comfort they provide to her. During her times of struggle, stargazing became some sort of a therapy. While it might not erase her problems, it calmed her mind.

"I had quite an eventful last day, didn't I? I still don't know how I feel about any of this, but I have a goal now. And that is the protection of Subaru and everyone I care about. He may not look like it on the outside, but I know deep down, he's still suffering greatly. Seriously… he's so brave and reckless. But that's what makes him Subaru."

She gave the moon and stars one final look.

Perhaps, everything Echidna said was true.

There may be infinite worlds and realities out there.

But, none of those matter to Emilia.

There's one and only reality for her.

And it's a reality she will protect to her very limits…

No matter what.

Even at the expense of her own life.

That…

Is a promise she made to herself.


	5. Intermission I

**A/N**

 **Just a short intermission before I start the second episode.** **Most intermission chapters will mainly focus around "outside-the-story" stuff where _certain characters_ discuss the events or provide information. ^^ **

**This chapter will be introducing a new character (1st part), a certain version of Echidna (2nd part), and the complicated mess that is multi-Donas (3rd part).**

 **Btw, I'm also using the multiverse fragments lore from the When They Cry series for this fic. If you've read either one of those visual novel series, I'm sure you would have noticed by now. :3**

 **Due to the 4th-wall breaking nature of this fic, I'm not going to do a whole bunch of A/N's.** **But a** **nyway, I just want to thank everyone who has been reading so far! :D**

 **A/N**

* * *

 **Intermission I: Greetings from the Witch of Miracles**

* * *

Greetings.

My name is Bernkastel. I am the Witch of Miracles.

I am the girl with the blue hair who appeared in chapter three of this story. My name was actually revealed in the same chapter, but every other letter of my name was kept blank.

How rude.

Nevertheless, allow me to properly introduce myself. If you already know me from another charming tale before, feel free to skip this part until the next line. If you don't know me, then I shall introduce myself now.

As I said, I am Bernkastel the Witch of Miracles.

I am a witch who has existed for more than a thousand years.

I am not of this world. I don't belong in the World of Re:Zero. I am a witch from the higher levels of existence.

The definition of a "witch" from the World of Re:Zero doesn't apply to me. I don't intend to boast but I am a great witch of the highest caliber. I'm known as something referred to as [voyager witch] (Dona called it "traveling witch" in jest). A voyager witch is a witch who isn't tied into a fragment and can travel between the different fragments, realities, domains, and levels of existence.

I travel endlessly in the endless Sea of Fragments, always searching for something worthwhile and interesting to escape the poison known as boredom.

I have the power to create all types of miracles as long as the possibility isn't absolute zero.

It doesn't matter how low the probability is. It could be as low as 0.001%, but as long as it isn't absolute zero, I will certainly create a miracle.

My power has been described as folding a paper a hundred times so that it reaches the moon.

If I play an endless game of chess, and I'm given the task of winning a game with only pawns, I would struggle fruitlessly for a long time until I beat my opponent who possesses normal pieces, or even all queens. (I did play this endless game of chess, by the way). As long as the probability of a victory isn't absolute zero, I will certainly earn a miraculous win.

I am the most powerful witch… although some unscrupulous individuals argue with that fact… such as that annoying pink clown Lambdadelta the Witch of Absolute / Certainty.

In a game of rock, paper, scissors, I am the scissors and Lambda is the paper. However, that kid claims to be "super paper," which can defeat even scissors.

Seriously… how much more idiotic can that kid get?

… Anyway…

Some of the things I like include tea, wine, and spicy foods.

Some of the things I hate include boredom, people who are unable to accept the truth, and a bitch called Auaurora.

This is all you have to know about me… for now.

* * *

You may be wondering why I, a great witch from the higher levels of existence, have appeared in this fragment, the World of Re:Zero. If you already know of me before, you may be especially curious about my presence in this story.

Well, I am here for my precious miko and beloved friend, Dona. You may think of a miko as a priestess, a protégé, or an enforcer of another witch.

I was a mere passerby of this fragment when I first met her.

She was in a pitiful state back then. Perhaps, she reminded me too much of my past self... so, I whispered to her some _secrets_ and I decided to grant her a "wish." For now, let's just leave it at that.

Moving on...

She died during the tragedy 400 years ago due to certain circumstances. However, a piece of her soul ascended to the higher levels of existence. Consequently, that piece of her soul became a voyager witch, or a "traveling witch" as she likes to call it. Rather than just a mere mortal-Witch of Greed of this world, her soul became a witch who travels in the Sea of Fragments.

She became known as Omega-Echidna the Witch of Curiosity.

That's her official witch name but I still refer to her as Echidna, or her cute shortened nickname, Dona.

After she left the domain of this world, I took her under my guidance and I taught her about the fragments, and how to survive in this cruel, cruel world of ours.

I taught her about the games and the punishment games witches like to engage in.

She ultimately became an incredible witch and made a name for herself throughout the Sea of Fragments. She gained a respectable reputation as the "Curious Witch."

In her 250th year as a voyager witch, she became an official Witch of the Senate like Lambda and I.

Really, I'm proud of her. It's nice to have a miko who isn't incompetent.

Her favorite games and tales are mystery-based or anything that makes one think deep. With her Magic of Curiosity that can find answers even among a dense cloud of darkness, she's quite formidable.

I… I did lose to her a few times. B-but... I still defeated her in four games as opposed to her two wins, and one draw.

My Miracles is certainly stronger than her Curiosity... but there are times when her Curiosity finds a solution to beat my Miracles.

Those losses still make me a little bitter. Really bitter...

However, she became such a beloved friend of mine that she's exempted from facing my wrath and vengeance. I guess that reason is enough for me not to rip her guts out…

But lately, there's something strange going on with her. She missed out on the murder mystery game-board Lambda and I participated in known as the game-boards of Rokkenjima, which is surprising considering she loves this type of murder mystery. I'm sure she would have enjoyed the games as I did.

It's been a while since I last saw her, so maybe I was starting to get worried about her. She could have died for all I know. Fortunately, the letter I sent found its way to her and she sent me back a reply. We exchanged several ideas on how to solve Beato's mysteries, but regrettably, she wasn't able to do much without seeing it firsthand.

It was a shame. It would have been more fun if she was around.

Anyway...

As I promised, I came to pay her a visit after I left Beato's territory.

She seems to have plenty of "unfinished business." Based on what I can observe from her actions since coming to this fragment, it's obvious she intends to do something but I can't quite figure out what her true intentions are.

I'm especially curious about her feelings towards that half-elf girl called Emilia. There's clear hatred in her feelings, but there's something else I can't quite describe. It's also important to keep in mind that Emilia resembles the Witch of Envy Satella, whom Dona really hates as well. Perhaps, it has something to do with that?

Hmm...

Most of this world's current mysteries seem to revolve around Satella.

There's also that boy Natsuki Subaru who was given the gift of Return by Death.

And of course, there's [The Great Tragedy] which destroyed half of the physical world 400 years ago.

Well...

I suppose I'll extend my visit and stay here for a while. I'll let Dona lead the way, while I watch and see how it all plays out.

I just hope it makes the poison known as boredom go away.

* * *

These will be the various Echidnas who will appear throughout the story. I shall explain the differences between them, so you may avoid confusion later on. See how kind I am?

 **Echidna the Witch of Greed**  
She's the physical world Dona or the "original" Dona. She "died" when she was 19 during the tragedy 400 years ago but she was revived for a certain reason. She lived for a few more years and she was in her mid 20's by the time she died for real. She performed some shady experiments but she's generally nicer than the other Donas and her moral compass leans slightly towards the light side. Her body is currently encased inside a coffin in the Sanctuary. Some foolish clown named Roswaal has been trying to revive her. Seriously… she just doesn't want to die, huh?

 **Omega-Echidna the Witch of Curiosity (Voyager Witch)  
** This is my dear miko. She is the piece of Dona's soul that separated from her body when she "died" at the age of 19 and ascended to the higher levels of existence. She's a manifestation of Dona's bitterness and negative feelings towards the world and… certain individuals… with a lot of childish curiosity and wishes mixed in. She is the Dona who bullied Emilia during the first three chapters of this story. She claims to be the superior Dona because she possesses greater power and knowledge than the others.

Note: She's also distinguishable as she doesn't wear the same funeral-like clothes as physical world Dona. Moreover, she has two butterfly pins, making it look like she has a demon's horns. This Dona claims she has a good fashion sense and prefers a stylish outfit, unlike her "other selves."

 **Omega-Echidna the Witch of Greed (Soul Echidna)  
** She's another piece of Dona's soul. She's the dream world Dona who appeared during the Sanctuary incident and hosted the trials in Arc 4. She's almost identical to Mega-Dona in nature; this piece of her soul is also a manifestation of original Dona's bitterness and negative feelings. Unfortunately, she didn't ascend to the higher levels. Instead, she was forced to watch over the trials thanks to a certain contract. She's currently back in the physical world inside the body of Lewes Meyer.

Note: Coincidentally, she also claimed the name "Omega." For convenience's sake, we shall refer to her as Dona-Dona and the other Omega as Mega-Dona when they're in the same space.

 **Scarf Echidna  
** A furniture Mega-Dona created for no reason other than to prank the Witch Cult. It didn't turn out well, unfortunately. She has the appearance of a foxlike scarf and she's currently with a girl named Anastasia for whatever reason.

To summarize...

\- Dona's original body is _currently_ dead in the physical world.  
\- Dona-Dona, a piece of the original Dona's soul and the host of Arc 4's trials, is currently inside the body of a loli in the physical world.  
\- Scarf-Dona, the furniture, is currently with Anastasia in the physical world.  
\- Mega-Dona, the piece of original Dona's soul who became a voyager witch, is the only one who's currently not in the physical world. She's currently in the meta-world where the first three chapters took place.

* * *

Now that you know who I am, (or have been reminded about me)

And my relations to Dona,

Let us enjoy this fantasy tale together.

Once again,

Greetings from the Witch of Miracles.

Nipah~ (=^･ω･^=)


	6. The Shrine of Greed I

**The Shrine of Greed I: A New Journey Begins**

* * *

A duo of ground dragons pulling along a carriage traverse through the rough grounds of a misty forest.

The forest appears to be a mystical area secluded from civilization. The trees are huge and its thick green leaves block most of the sun's rays. Moreover, the thick mists further amplified the mystical atmosphere of the forest.

The forest feels empty, however. Not even the chirping of birds or the noises of insects are audible. In other words, the presence of life forms can't be perceived. So, if someone is to die screaming in this place, _no one would be able to hear them_.

Inside the carriage, the travelers look visibly exhausted. They had been traveling non-stop for almost an entire day.

One side of the carriage was occupied by Emilia, Garfiel, and Beatrice. On the opposite side, there's Subaru, Ram, and the unconscious figure of Rem settled on top of Subaru's shoulder.

"GAAAGGGHHHHHHAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Are we here yet?! When are we going to get there?!" Subaru complained for the nth time. "Damn Ros-chi wasn't that detailed about where we need to go! GRRGGGHHHHHHHH!"

It seems his outcry awakened the people who were peacefully sleeping until just a moment ago.

"Quiet, Barusu." Ram expressed her annoyance. "We'll get there when we get there. Complaining about it won't make it get any closer."

"It should only be a matter of time before we get there, I suppose. Betty is starting to feel a certain presence."

"Yes. A strong magical presence." Emilia further elaborated Beatrice's claim.

Amidst the ruckus caused by Subaru, one person managed to stay asleep… excluding Rem, of course. That person would be Garfiel, who somehow managed to retain his peaceful rest.

Ram's sharp glare landed on his figure. Perhaps, there's a trace of envy on her expression. She wanted to retain her peaceful sleep too.

She muttered something along the lines of "stupid, careless kid" under her breath.

"Okay, okay, I get it! I'll _try_ not to pester you guys too much anymore! It's just that sitting on my butt for a damn long time is really tiring, you know?"

Subaru tried to assure them. But even he can't guarantee his mouth won't have another outburst before they reach their destination.

After that little ruckus, peace and quiet did return inside the carriage.

Then, amidst the calm and quiet atmosphere, Subaru grabbed the unconscious Rem's hand.

"Hey, don't worry, alright? You're definitely going to wake up someday. Although it's only slim, there's a chance that day could be now. Who knows? Maybe by the time we go back to the mansion, you'll be up and about, and everyone will remember you again."

He whispered to the peacefully resting girl.

"Subaru… Yes. You're definitely going to save her… someday." Emilia, who seems to have caught what he said, encouraged.

"Hehe! Rem will be reunited with her nee-san and everything will go back to normal again."

He smiled at the thought… that the days of old when everyone was still around will certainly come again. That time may or may not be now, but he will relentlessly pursue for those days to return. He will make those wonderful days a reality again.

Rem will certainly be a part of their lives again.

Ram, who also heard their exchange, crossed her arms and didn't bother to say anything.

Meanwhile, Emilia's amethyst orbs are still fixated on Subaru and Rem. For some reason, seeing them together makes her feel uncomfortable.

Their hands were held together, and their heads leaned against one another with their eyes closed.

They look… very peaceful and lovely.

So… why? Why does she feel uncomfortable looking at such an innocent image before her? An image like that should be admired!

The half-elf let out a soft sigh and forced a smile.

" _They look good together."_ She thought to herself.

Then…

" _Hehehehehe. You don't really want that girl to wake up from her slumber, do you? You don't want her to return to this world, riiiiiight~? How cruel of you."_ A mocking voice softly whispered to her ears.

A reflection of herself – no, perhaps an illusion, a fake, would be a better term – materialized beside her.

Appearance-wise, the illusion is identical to Emilia with a few notable differences. For instance, the illusion's eyes were downcasted and covered by her bangs. So, they weren't visible. In fact, her nose and her frowning lips are the only visible features of her face.

Moreover, there's also a dark and depressing aura emitting from the illusion.

Suffice to say, if anyone is to see the illusion, they'll probably feel uncomfortable.

Emilia doesn't know what the deal is with the illusion, but it has been appearing quite a bit lately. It claims to be a manifestation of her "real" feelings that she denied. She didn't accept that claim, obviously… because it's a lying illusion. There's no reason for her to acknowledge a lying illusion. However, it doesn't change the fact that it's very annoying… especially considering some of the words and nonsense it says to her.

In any case, she decides to name the illusion Fake Emilia. She cursed her naming sense, of course. She can probably come up with a much better name, but that's not really that important, is it? Besides, the name is very suitable for the lying illusion, if she says so herself.

" _Y-you again?!"_ She thought to herself… or more accurately, to Fake Emilia.

After all, she's the only one who's able to see Fake Emilia. So, if she replies back with verbal words in front of others, she would appear to be talking to either herself or the empty space. That would be embarrassing. Fortunately, Fake Emilia can "hear" her thoughts.

Most likely, their minds are linked.

" _You're really annoying, you know that, right? I would appreciate it if you stop appearing so often."_ She rebuked the illusion.

" _You poor girl. Stop living in denial. Subaru will never abandon that girl. He wants that girl in his life. He loves that girl. He wants to form a romantic relationship with her too. And if you refuse to accept her, you're the one who's going to get abandoned. You poor girl. Hehehehehe."_

" _S-SILENCE! Subaru will never do that! H-he will never abandon me! You claim to be a representation of my real feelings, but you don't even know anything about him! ENOUGH OF YOUR LIES!"_

" _I'm just trying to protect 'myself' from getting hurt. How many times do I have to tell you? Stop living in denial. Stop acting so ignorant. Stop denying your real feelings. Stop acting so innocent. Subaru certainly loves that girl and it will be a disadvantage for you when she returns. Deep down, you know you really want that girl to stay 'dead.' In that case, you might as well kill her yourself. After all… as they say, all is fair in love and war. Hehehehehehehe."_

" _QUIET, ILLUSION! THAT'S NOT TRUE! I WILL NEVER DESCEND TO HAVING REPULSIVE THOUGHTS LIKE THAT! JUST GO AWAY! I'M TIRED OF YOUR LIES! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME! BEGONE, LYING ILLUSION!"_

"Emilia-sama, are you alright? You look troubled."Ram suddenly called to her attention.

"H-huh?"

She realized her expression must have looked distressed while she was having that passionate argument with the lying illusion.

She felt stupid…

Fortunately, Fake Emilia had enough tact to disappear. It's too bad it will probably come back and bother her again soon.

"O-oh... yes. I'm alright. There's nothing to worry about. I'm just a little tired."

"Hm. If you say so, Emilia-sama. But if there's something wrong, don't hesitate to let me know."

"Thank you, Ram…"

After that brief awkward exchange, Ram can't help but feel there's something going on with Emilia lately.

It's definitely not the first time she displayed a strange behavior in recent times.

The strange behavior started two weeks ago when the half-elf asked her a string of strange questions early in the morning.

Ever since then, Emilia would often camp inside her room for the whole day. She had always been a diligent girl, but she had somehow neglected her studies… instead, she seemed to be preoccupied trying to know more about Satella the Witch of Envy and Echidna the Witch of Greed. She spent a lot of time searching and reading books and scriptures that mention the Witch of Envy. In Echidna's case, she's almost impossible to research because there are barely any records of her existence. Therefore, the half-elf chose to bother Roswaal and Beatrice, asking them several questions about the witch who had deep connections with them.

" _I understand why Emilia-sama might be interested in the Witch of Envy, but why the Witch of Greed? Is she trying to compare which witch is worse than the other? Hmm. But what does that have to do with her weird behavior?"_

The half-elf would also appear anxious and panicky at times. Sometimes, Ram had even caught her talking to herself.

" _Yeah. She definitely has problems. I wonder what happened to her."_

Ram has been keeping a close eye on the King candidate, but she hasn't found any answers to the half-elf's strange behavior.

Nevertheless, here they are now, traveling to a hidden shrine of Echidna that Roswaal mentioned.

One of the main objectives of this journey is for Emilia to gather information. Then, maybe, just maybe… there's a faint chance they might also find a cure to awaken Rem.

How did this little journey of theirs come into shape?

Well, it happened like this a few days ago…

It all started when Emilia was asking Roswaal and Beatrice about Echidna again during dinner…

* * *

Roswaal, Beatrice, Subaru, and Emilia are sitting in the main table of the mansion. Judging by their empty plates, it appears they had just finished dinner.

"I wooonder~, what has gotten you sooo curiooous~ about Teacher all of the sudden, Emilia-saaama~? You have been asking a looot~ about her lately, haveeen't~ youuu~?"

Roswaal wondered after Emilia was once again asking about the Witch of Greed. It seems to be a hobby of hers lately. So, naturally, it would arouse the curiosity of those around her.

"Yeah! I've been wondering about that too. Seeing you think too much of that mean-spirited bitch kinda puts a bad taste in my mouth, you know?" Subaru chimed in.

"W-well… I had a strange dream. I don't really understand anything by it. The details of the dream are obscure but I'm certain it had something to do with the Witch of Greed. Hmm. How shall I say this properly? Well… let's say it gives the impression that if I follow the witch's trails, it may lead me to answers. Very important answers. You could even call it life-changing answers. Something like that. It gives that kind of feeling."

She explained vaguely without giving away her recent meeting with Echidna during her so-called dream.

Although she talked about Echidna, she was actually most curious about her connection to Satella more than anything else. Ever since the Witch of Greed emphasized a certain "connection" she has with the Witch of Envy, it's been bothering her a lot. Maybe it's because she has a suspicion that the truth behind it may be utterly unpleasant. However, she's determined to pursue that truth no matter how unpleasant it may be.

In any case, she believes that learning more about Echidna will naturally lead to more information about Satella.

Hopefully, her explanation is sufficient enough for them to understand her desire for that certain knowledge.

"A dream? And it involves that bitch too? How come you've never told me anything about it?" Subaru wondered.

For Subaru, he worries that the witch may be up to no good again. But then again, the Trials have been passed, the Sanctuary was liberated, and the witch should have screwed off for good. She must be so bored in her Dream World with no one else to talk to besides those other weird witches. He can't help but smirk at that thought.

Maybe it's all needless worries, after all.

"Well, it's a very strange dream and I barely understand anything about it. I don't think it's worth troubling you with it, Subaru."

"Huh? Is that so? Well, I guess… as long as it doesn't bother you that much."

"Hmm. In other words, the reeeason~ you are seeking information about Teeeacher~ is because of that dream."

Roswaal surmised after taking her words into serious consideration.

"Uuunfortunately~, I'm afraid I cannot heeelp~ you without any specific topic in mind. Teeeacher~ was a strange woman of maaany~ mysteries, even for Beatrice and myself. She possessed maaany~ secrets we don't know of. However, there maaay~ be a place that might suit your needs. But, it's a place faaar~ from here."

"A place?"

"Indeed. There's a place that Teacher holds dear. A place that contains maaany~ seeecrets~."

"What is it? Tell me."

"The shrine of Greed. The place where Teeeacher~ grew up. There's a Grand Library that's even faaar~ better and biiigger~ than the Forbidden Archives. Supposedly, that library contains many fooorbidden~ seeecrets~."

"The shrine of Greed…" The half-elf quietly repeated to herself.

"How do you know about this shrine of Greed, I wonder? How come Betty never knew about this place Mother supposedly grew up in? How come Mother never told Betty about her childhood? How come only the clown knows?" Beatrice intruded in the conversation.

There's a clear hint of annoyance in her expression. It appears she doesn't like being left out on certain information about her so-called "Mother."

"Heheh. Weeell~, it's a fuuunny~ stooory~. You seeee~, during one looovely~ day, I decided to fooollow~ Teacher when she was off to one of her 'trips.' And voilaaa~, it turns out, she was visiting the place of her childhood, in which she called it the shrine of Greed. Of course, she caught me fooollowing~ her. But, she was graceful and forgiving enough to let me tag along. Heheh."

"So, basically, you stalked her…" Subaru stated with a deadpanned expression.

He never really understood the clown's obsession with Echidna. But, a creep deserves a fellow creep… he concluded.

"How shameless, I suppose. But that's to be expected of you," said Beatrice harshly with a pout.

"Ahhhh, I still reeemember~ hooow~ wonderful that place is as if it was just yeeesterday~! Heheh. It's an expeeerience~ where you haaave~ to seeee~ it to beeelieve~ it! Ho ho!" Roswaal expressed enthusiastically with both arms raised.

Now, it sounded like he's just shamelessly bragging about what must have been a wonderful experience for him… regardless, it did peak the curiosity of Subaru, Emilia, and Beatrice.

"So… uhm, where is this place?" The half-elf asked amidst Roswaal's excitement.

"Wait! Wait! Don't tell me you're seriously thinking of going, Emilia-tan?!" Subaru cut in. "I understand you're curious and all, and to be honest, I'm very curious too! But all of this sounds so shady! I don't trust anything related to that witch!"

"Hmph. You don't trust Betty too, I suppose?" Beatrice accused with a deep frown.

"N-NO, Beako! THAT'S NOT IT! That's not what I meant! I-I mean… I don't trust everything relating to that witch except you, of course! H-hahahahahahahahaha!"

The artificial spirit girl let out an exasperated sigh.

"Fine. Betty is only joking, I suppose. Anyway, that place… Betty wants to see it too… I suppose…"

"You too, huh, Beako?" He sighed and turned to Emilia. "That dream of yours… is it really that big of a deal you want to risk going to a shady place related to a witch?"

"W-well…"

To put the perceived risk into perspective,

It wasn't that long ago when they had gotten caught up inside a place heavily influenced by the Witch of Greed; the Sanctuary.

The experience wasn't… the most pleasant, to say the least.

Therefore, it's only reasonable to conclude that going to the shrine of Greed will not be the most pleasant experience either.

Subaru raised a fair point.

So, Emilia carefully thought about it.

Is it really that important? Important enough to go despite the risk?

She considered what she learned throughout the whole ordeal.

She learned that Subaru has an ability called Return by Death apparently given to him by Satella. The ability allows him to return back in time… by literally dying in order to "fix" his mistakes and overcome an impending tragedy. Or, in Echidna's interpretation, the Witch of Envy reverses time, based on her whims and Subaru doesn't actually need to die.

But then again, who really knows whether the Witch of Greed speaks the truth or not. Perhaps, her statement was misleading. Furthermore, there may even be more interpretations on how it really works.

Nevertheless, knowing how Return by Death works isn't important right now. Its impact on Subaru is the main issue here.

Throughout his time in Lugnica, that ability had tormented him. Dying is very painful. And so is watching the people you care about get killed over and over again. However, without it, they wouldn't be where they are right now.

For Subaru, for Emilia… they wouldn't have each other without Return by Death. For instance, they would have met a premature death on the day they first met! And that was going to be it.

An unfulfilled friendship. An unfulfilled love.

Without Return by Death, that would have been their fate.

It's ironic, really… while Subaru may think of Return of Death as a curse, it's also a necessity. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to save the people he cared about. Or himself.

As a result, a huge burden was imposed on him. All alone by himself… without anyone else knowing about his pain and struggles until Emilia learned about it… he has been given the unfair and unrealistic task of being a "hero."

He's consistently tasked with finding ways to prevent a tragedy from occurring, engaging in a brutal trial and error process until he finds the right solution to overcome the tragedy. Through that process, he had experienced the pain of death several times. And throughout it all, none of the people he saved even know the great lengths he went through to save them…

It's this level of unfairness Emilia hates the most.

Thus, she's determined not to let Subaru fight by himself anymore.

She may not be able to tell him about her knowledge of Return by Death, but she'll watch over him and protect his back. She will offer her full support. No, she wouldn't just be a mere support, but she'll take charge! She will take matters into her own hands! She will be as helpful as she can be and help him overcome the new tragedies he will surely face in the future.

That's a promise she made to herself.

But, in order to gain further understanding of this crazy predicament, she believes she has to seek the truth about her connection to Satella, the one who "blessed" him with Return by Death in the first place.

Once again, it may or may not be an unpleasant truth. **But that truth will be the torch that will shed light on all mysteries hidden within the shroud of darkness.**

So, with all of these taken into consideration… going to what Subaru believes to be a shady place called the shrine of Greed… if she can find knowledge that will be beneficial in this struggle… even if it's just a hazy glimpse of the truth… it will be worth the risk!

Either way, there's no turning back now!

She has the determination!

She must do what she has to do!

"Yes, Subaru. I believe it will be worth the risk. If you don't want to, you don't have to go, you know. This is something I must do! I can take care of myself! I'm not afraid to take responsibility anymore!"

"No, Emilia-tan… I can't let you do that." He sighed once again. "You're really set on this, huh?"

He's still hesitant, but with Emilia like this… there's no way he can convince her not to go.

"Heheheheheheheh. My, my. I've neeever~ seen you this fired up before, Emilia-samaaa~. Well, it's not that I blaaame~ you. Teeeacher's shrine is truuuly~ an increeedible~ place! Supposedly, she even cured her incurable illness in that place. Heheh. Nothing in this world was able to cure her illness, but that place had something that can cure aaalmost~ aaanything~!"

"Wait, wait. Can you repeat what you said?" Subaru suddenly asked, his curiosity peaked once again.

"Hmmm? Repeat what exactly, Subaru-kun?"

"That something that can cure almost anything. Does it really exist?! Also, what type of illness Echidna was afflicted with?!"

The Mathers' eyes narrowed, intrigued by Subaru's sudden change of tone.

"Weeell~, she did not go into detail, but from what I can gather, she spent most of her childhood bedridden as a result of a certain incurable illness… supposedly, it even prevented her from using magic properly. At first, I thought it was the same Mana Period I was afflicted with but that doesn't seem to be the case… poooor~ Teeeacher~… that certain maaagical~ cure did fix her, however… so yes, I do beeelieve~ a cure like that exists. I beeelieve~ Teacher's words. Subaru-kun, you can't possibly be thinking…"

Subaru nodded and grinned.

"Yes, yes. That's it! I guess it'll be worth a try!"

"Subaru?" The half-elf asked, slightly dumbfounded.

"Alright! I'm coming with you! To that shrine of Greed place or whatever!"

"R-really?!"

"Betty is going too, I suppose."

"Woah, woah! Chiiildren~, hooold~ on a minute! What has chaaanged~ your mind, Subaru-kun? If my line of thinking is correct, then I assume…"

"Yeah, that's right! That magical cure! Whatever it is! It may work for Rem!" Subaru explained.

"Mmmmm? I wooouldn't~ get my hopes up, Subaru-kun. It may have worked for Teacher, but her problem had to do with physical health. It may not work to bring someone back into existence."

"Even so. I believe it's still worth a try. I'm going to do whatever it takes to wake up Rem up! I'm going to try all possibilities, no matter how unlikely or silly! Besides, Emilia-tan is definitely going, so we might as well try to save Rem too, right?!"

"Subaru…"

Emilia let out a solemn smile as she uttered his name.

"Are you ceeertain~ about this, Subaru-kun?"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever happens, I'll take responsibility for it!"

He clenched his fist and raised it forward with his trademark confident grin.

And so, in the end, they decided to go.

Here are the party members for this particular journey and their respective reason for going…

Beatrice, because she wanted to see the place important to her Mother.

Garfiel, because he wanted to tag along and offer extra protection.

Ram, because Rem is involved.

Emilia, because she wanted to look for information about Echidna and Satella.

Subaru, because of a possible cure for Rem.

Rem, because she may or may not be awakened.

By the way, Roswaal was forbidden by Subaru and Ram from going because he becomes too suspicious whenever the Witch of Greed is involved.

And so, this is how the new journey began.

It's a journey that will either lead to a joyful awakening and new discoveries… or a journey that will ultimately prove to be completely pointless.

Or perhaps, it will be a journey filled with tribulations and despair…

Or maybe, a little bit of all of them.

Only time will tell.

After making preparations, the journey commenced in two days.

* * *

Back in the present…

According to Roswaal, the shrine of Greed lies "hidden" somewhere in the north of the kingdom near the Gusteko border. He can't quite describe how to find it, but he assured them that Emilia and Beatrice would be able to sense it due to their strong magical prowess. The place is somewhere "sealed off" from the rest of the world, apparently.

True to Roswaal's words, Emilia and Beatrice had been sensing something that had gradually grown stronger and stronger for a while now.

Something was "calling" to them.

Their gaze crossed each other and they both nod simultaneously.

The half-elf politely asked for the ground dragons to be halted, and she got off the carriage along with Beatrice.

"Yo. What's up? We're here already?" asked Subaru.

"We're not sure yet… hold on." Emilia replied, uncertain of the situation.

The two girls look around the huge and dense forests covered with mists. Unfortunately, they weren't able to find anything substantial. The whole forest gives an impression that it may swallow them and trap them inside a huge maze…

They can feel a certain presence… but, nothing can be "seen."

Then, just as they're about to return to the carriage and try again in another location, a group of glowing orbs of multiple colors slowly gathered around them.

"Spirits, I suppose."

"Indeed."

Emilia closed her eyes and communicated with them, asking them if they might know about the place. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes and turned to Beatrice.

"They know where it is! They'll lead us to it!"

With her announcement, Subaru immediately got off the carriage, carrying Rem like a true gentleman.

Meanwhile, Ram must have whacked Garfiel with something to wake the boy up… as evident by his rapid complaints.

"Ehh, boss, how'r we gna go back?"

Garfiel asked the most obvious question after he recovered from the blow to his head. He stared at the ground dragon handler.

"Bet he ain't gna stay nd wait fer us!"

"Yeah, that's right, brother!" The handler agreed. "I'm goin' out of here as soon as possible! This place gives me the creep!"

"Uhhh, I actually haven't thought about that," admitted Subaru.

"Once again, you prove to be halfwit, Barusu," insulted Ram.

"Hey! That comment is totally unnecessary, nee-san! Anyyyyyway, I suppose how we go back doesn't really matter right now. I'm sure we'll figure something out when we go back! Who knows?! Maybe Rem is going to be the one to figure it out! Haha!"

Ram frowned.

"Hmph. If this turns out to be pointless and my so-called 'sister' remains asleep by the end of this, I will hold it against you, Barusu."

"Come on, now! It's not like I made a promise or anything! I'm just trying to be optimistic! Nothin' wrong with that! But just know this! I will definitely bring her back! If it happens now, then wonderful! If not, then I'll keep trying and trying until I can make it happen! I guarantee that!"

"Hmph."

This time, the pink-haired maid just huffed and didn't bother to reply.

After their lively exchange, the party started following the spirits. The spirits led them deep into the forest until they come to a halt at a small clearing.

There's a small object floating in mid-air ahead of them.

Upon closer inspection, the object is revealed to be…

"A fragment."

Emilia muttered quietly.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

They are very reminiscent of the triangular prisms in the Sea of Fragments. Could this be… one of them?

"Do you know about this, I wonder?" asked Beatrice.

The half-elf nodded.

"I think I do…"

She asked the spirits about the fragment and they told her to simply touch it. It should send them to their destination.

After thanking the spirits, she slowly approached the fragment.

Subaru followed beside her, looking at the fragment with interest.

"The heck is that thing? Did the spirits tell you what we need to do?"

"The spirits said we need to make contact with it."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"I see. Let's do it together, Emilia-tan."

"Hm. Why not?"

He carefully stretched his right arm while keeping a hold of Rem.

Then, together, they reach out to the fragment at the same time…

Upon making contact with the fragment, a blinding white light surrounded them, swallowing them.

One by one, their figures disappear into nothingness.

 **Welcome to the city of Greed**.

* * *

When their eyes opened, a staggering scenery greeted them.

They are no longer in the misty forests they were in a while ago.

Instead, they find themselves in the middle of a small city.

To the west of the city, there's a sea. To the north, east, and south, the city was completely surrounded by mountain cliffs. From this perspective, the city seems to be completely isolated from the rest of the world. It feels like it's the only city that exists…

In any case, the city appears to be multi-cultural, blending together the architectures of Lugnica, Vollachia, Gusteko, and Karagiri into one impressive spectacle.

That's not all, however…

What caught Subaru's attention the most was that some of the houses are very reminiscent of the modern-day architecture from his world. Furthermore, there are also some buildings that resemble factories.

Then, in the middle of the small city, there's a tower that looks like a replica of…

The Eiffel Tower?!

Not only that, but there are also buildings with architecture inspired by ancient Greece judging by the iconic columns he was able to recognize!

"What… the hell is this?!"

The spectacle left him speechless. It was like looking at a mixture of both a fantasy world and his original world, integrating together architectures and ideas from both worlds.

Although the city looks dead and abandoned, as a result of having not been lived in for hundreds of years, one can easily tell it used to be a lively place. But now, there are only empty streets and decaying buildings that are slowly being reclaimed by nature.

What used to be here is nothing more than distant memories…

"Huh?"

He let out a dumbfounded gasp.

He saw a sign, written in the English language.

[The City of Aplistía]

[A city of Truth and Enlightenment. A city far advanced from the rest, unbounded from the ignorant masses of this world. The crossroads of cultures converge here. Those who wish to seek knowledge and pursue the Truth are welcome]

"[T-truth... en-enlight... e-en-enlightment... n-noo-nol... k-knowledge... truth... welcome...]" He attempted to read the words, clearly struggling.

"Subaru? Perchance, do you understand what it says?" Emilia asked, trying to decipher the strange language.

"Grhhh. No."

It's not that Subaru is lying. He really didn't understand what it says, except that the city is called Aplistia and supposedly, it's a city of Truth and Enlightenment.

He cursed himself for not paying enough attention to English classes back in his world.

Maybe the sign even mentioned something about the magical cure.

" _Damn it!"_

Regardless, even if he did understand, he can't just blurt out something like,

"Why, of course, I do understand! I'm actually from another world and I've been summoned to this world for whatever reason! This language is called English and it's the most spoken language in my world!"

The question is, why is there even something written in English in the first place?!

Why do some of the buildings in this city have modern day architecture and ancient Greek architecture?!

Why are there factories?!

Why is there a replica of the Eiffel Tower?!

Did Echidna or whoever the heck used to run this place have extensive knowledge of his world?! That seems to be the only explanation…

" _What the hell… this is really weird…"_

"Sooooo, that the shrine we lookin' fer?!"

Garfiel snapped them out of their bewildered state, pointing to what appears to be a shrine sitting at the edge of the city.

The shrine looks majestic despite its abandoned state.

It was settled on top of a hill. There are some long stairs with lamps at the side leading towards the shrine. On top of the hill where the stairs end, there's a black sandō welcoming those who enter the shrine.

Inside the shrine, there's a gothic-style mansion along with something smaller buildings to the side. Its color was a mixture of black and white, very reminiscent of the Witch of Greed's color scheme. And in front of the mansion, there's a massive dead tree.

"This has to be the place, right?" Subaru asked.

"I think so." Emilia nodded.

Upon agreeing that it must be the shrine of Greed they had been looking for, they commence their approach.

...

And with this, the new journey has truly begun.

A journey that's probably not going to be so pleasant…


	7. The Shrine of Greed II

**The Shrine of Greed II: The Servants of the Witch**

* * *

"YO! ANYBODY HOME?!"

Subaru shouted as he impatiently knocked on the mansion's door.

It took some time, but the party finally arrived in the shrine. Based on the darkening orange skies, the time is around the latter stages of the afternoon.

Although the shrine showed obvious signs of rustiness, and wear and tears due to its abandoned state, it still managed to retain some of its former brilliance.

The first prominent feature to greet them as soon as they ascended from the stairs into the shrine was the dead, leafless tree. The tree is white in color. At first, Subaru thought someone might have painted it white, but upon taking a closer look, there's no doubt… that the tree really is naturally white in color.

The tree appears to have been a vital part of the shrine.

It was settled on what probably was a beautiful garden back in the days. Unfortunately, the flowers no longer bloom…

The garden, which is located in the middle of the shrine, is surrounded by the mansion to the front, and other smaller buildings of various use around it.

"Ehh, boss, ya think nyone's still livin' ere?" Garfiel questioned Subaru's knockings.

"I'm checking, just in case! It's not that I'm actually expecting anyone to answer, but I'm trying to be polite and courteous, you know? Heh. But now that I tried knocking and no one answered, I suppose we'll just have to barge in!"

Thus, Subaru opened the door. Fortunately, it wasn't locked like he was expecting.

"Excuse our intrusion, witch-sama!"

And with that, they crossed the threshold of the door and entered the mansion.

Upon entering, they are greeted by the mansion's main hall. Surprisingly, the interior didn't show the same rustiness and wear and tears as the outside. In fact, it seems like the mansion had been cleaned recently.

Now, isn't that strange…

The walls of the mansion are painted silver. Moreover, the floor almost looks like a chessboard with its alternating white and black tiles. Overall, the mansion looks like the typical mansion owned by someone extremely rich. The furniture, decorations, designs, the chandeliers, and paintings are all very extravagant and grandiose. Subaru can't help but wonder how much fortune he'll make if he sells all of these items...

The mansion did have an eerie atmosphere, however.

Somehow, it reminded Subaru of one of those western horror films where a group of friends goes on a trip to a large house in the middle of nowhere. And of course, the killing would eventually begin… until none remain alive…

Surely, such a lame and predictable plot like that couldn't possibly happen here… right?

Suddenly, as Subaru was lost in his thoughts over something so trivial, he heard Ram's sharp voice…

"Who's there?! Show yourself!"

"Ye! I know yer there! I can sense ya!" Garfiel backed Ram's suspicion.

"Someone?" Emilia looked around the hall, but she couldn't find anyone.

Is there someone inside the mansion, after all? An intruder, perhaps?

If so, where are they?!

"…"

Afterward…

"My. And here I thought we could play a little game of hide and seek. Hu hu. In any case, it wasn't our intention to hide. It is our obligation to greet our guests, after all."

The pleasant voice of a gentleman resounded in the hall.

Turning to the source of the voice, the party saw a middle-aged man dressed in a butler's outfit descending down the stairs into the main hall. He has a mid-length parted hair to go along with a ponytail. Then, he owned a pair of red eyes. And of course, he has a pleasant smile on his face.

Behind him, there are also two lovely ladies.

The first girl has an unruly black hair that extends all the way down to her waist. The second girl has a less unruly, more organized white hair that also extends all the way down to her waist. Both girls own a pair of stormy silver eyes mixed with shades of blue, gray, and purple.

The black-haired girl is wearing a black blouse. Moreover, she wore a white sleeveless vest that was unbuttoned mid-way through on top of her blouse. Then, there's a silver belt on her waist with sharp petal-shaped cloths attached from the sides to the back of the belt to go along with a short shorts underneath. Finally, she wore a pair of white thigh boots.

The white-haired girl was more or less dressed the same except the colors were switched up. She wore a white blouse with a half-way unbuttoned black sleeveless vest over it. Likewise, she also wore a short shorts along with a silver belt and the sharp petal-shaped cloths attached to the belt. And lastly, she has a pair of black thigh boots.

Both ladies wore a tie that was colored with an alternating black and white diamonds reminiscent of the mansion's floor.

As for all three of them, including the middle-aged man, they all have what appears to be a butterfly symbol engraved somewhere in their respective outfits; to the right of the black-haired girl's vest, to the left of the white-haired girl's vest, and to the right shoulder of the man's blazer.

"W-who are you?" Subaru asked.

Ram and Garfiel immediately took an offensive stance, suspicious of their presence.

"My, oh, my. There's no need for you to be alarmed. We are here to welcome you, Emilia-sama and friends. We will be taking care of you for the duration of your stay here. I hope we get along well." The man explained.

"You know who I am?" Emilia asked, wondering how they know of her name.

"Hmm? Artificial spirits, I wonder?" Beatrice guessed.

Furthermore, their appearance, particularly their color schemes, reminds Beatrice of…

"… Mother… Mother's spirits, I suppose?"

"Hmm... more or less. To be specific, we are furniture. We are the furniture of the Great Witch Lady Echidna. There are major fundamental differences between a furniture and an artificial spirit, but for convenience's sake, you may refer to us as artificial spirits while we remain in this world. However, we kindly ask you not to forget that a furniture is lesser than a spirit and a human. Nevertheless, to make it simpler, we are basically the servants of Echidna-sama." The man further explained.

"Furniture? What the hell's that supposed to mean?" asked Subaru, bothered by the term, 'furniture.'

"It is what it sounds like, Natsuki Subaru-san. We are furniture. We exist to make life more convenient for our masters and tend to their needs. Of course, we can also be discarded and thrown away when we're no longer needed."

'Furniture.'

One would usually think of furniture as an object... designed for making a human's life more convenient. One wouldn't think of furniture as an actual living being...

But...

"Ah, that's it. I think I get it. Seriously… it sounds to me like that damn witch sees artificial spirits as nothing more than mere furniture that she can use whenever they're convenient and throw away when they're no longer useful!" Subaru surmised. "That's it, RIGHT?!"

That struck a nerve in Subaru… especially considering the witch's attitude towards Beatrice. He remembered her indifference towards Beatrice's situation... and how she was excited about watching her make a difficult choice. That was his biggest disappointment in Echidna. At that point, she probably no longer cared about Beatrice and had already long discarded her like trash. For the witch, the only remaining value Beatrice had was the amusement value of her choice.

Now, it all starts making sense to him!

"Hu hu hu. In any case, please allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Cerberus of the Underworld. I was once the guard dog of Hell serving under Hades-sama before I forged a Contract with Echidna-sama. Ever since then, I became her personal guard and the Head among her furniture." The middle-aged man introduced himself with mirth.

"I am Scylla~, the Strait of Messina's scourge~." The black-haired girl introduced herself merrily.

"I am Charybdis. The Strait of Messina's scourge." The white-haired girl introduced herself stoically.

""Together, we are the great menace of the seas! We are proud, loyal furniture of the Great Witch Lady Echidna! Fufufufufufufufufu.""

They finished off their introduction together with a playful giggle and an elegant bow.

"What kind of bullshit..." muttered Subaru.

To hear them introduce themselves as "furniture" and claim they're proud to be one… it felt like a slap to the face. Perhaps, they were boasting about their loyalty while slickly throwing a shot at Beatrice, indicating that she was a failure as the witch's "furniture."

But then again, it could be just Subaru being paranoid.

Regardless,

He clenched his fists.

It's pissing him off.

"It's alright, I suppose. Betty is not bothered."

Beatrice, who seems to have noticed Subaru's irritation, reassured him.

"As long as you never leave Betty's side, Betty will be fine, I suppose…"

"Beako…"

After the introduction, the party didn't know what to make of the situation.

"I see that you expected our arrival. Did Echidna anticipated it and sent the three of you here?" Emilia broke the tense silence.

"Yes, indeed. Echidna-sama sent the three of us to guide and serve you all during your stay." Cerberus confirmed. "After all, Milady still sees this place as her 'home,' and she's someone who's always considerate towards her guests… regardless of whether that guest is unpleasant or not. So please, if there's something you need, do not hesitate to let us know."

Well, at least that explains why the mansion looks clean.

"That witch still watches over us even after the whole deal with the Sanctuary, huh? Talk about creepy!" Subaru mocked. "Seriously… to have three of her furn- servants appear, just how much influence does she have over the world? How is it even possible?! Did she just summon the three of you to this world?! If she can do that, does that mean she can actually manifest in the real world if she wants to?!"

"That's a secret. Hu hu," answered Cerberus with a chuckle.

"Hey, come on! Secrets are no fun!"

"By the way, which Echidna are we talking about?" Ram asked sharply.

"Ehh, what ya talkin' about, Ram?" asked Garfiel.

The rest of the party are slightly confused by Ram's question… except for Emilia and Beatrice. They quickly realized what she meant.

Then, Subaru and Garfiel soon came to a realization as well.

"Oh, it's that," remarked Subaru.

The meaning behind Ram's sudden question is something like this...

During the Sanctuary incident, Subaru and Emilia have interactions with Echidna in the Dream World. However, after the Trials have been completed, they saw another Echidna inside the Sanctuary's glass coffin. The Echidna inside the coffin was clearly a few years older than the Dream World Echidna.

Are both "Echidna" the same person? Is the Echidna in the Dream World just the soul of the Echidna in the coffin?

Based on their appearance, they almost look identical. They could even pass as sisters. However, Roswaal confirmed Echidna had no sisters.

Nevertheless, there was a feeling that they are separate individuals. Or rather, different personalities might be the correct term.

When questioned about it, Roswaal and Beatrice were just as perplexed about the situation. However, they vouched that their "Echidna," Roswaal's Teacher and Beatrice's Mother, isn't anything like the mean-spirited Echidna who insulted Emilia, who looked down on Roswaal's efforts, and who scoffed at Beatrice's isolation.

Perhaps, they were only defending the person they thought they once knew. However, it can't be denied that the two Echidna certainly feels different from one another.

Now that it's been brought to attention by Ram, Emilia wondered if the Echidna she met two weeks ago and the Echidna she met a few months ago are even the same individuals. In terms of age and personality, there's no doubt they're the same. But, you never know…

Cerberus chuckled at Ram's incisive question.

"Hu hu hu hu. Aren't you a sharp one? Well, Echidna-sama is Echidna-sama. That is all I have to say regarding this matter."

In other words, the question won't be answered no matter how much they asked. So, Ram gave up on the subject.

"Whatever. But, allow me to kindly give a warning; try something and you will regret it."

"Ara~. How lively~. I'm liking this girl already, Chaaary~. Fufu~." Scylla stared at Ram with a smug smile.

"I don't. I find her annoying if I'm being honest," said Charybdis nonchalantly.

Then, Cerberus cleared his throat, opting to change the subject.

"In any case, now that we have introduced ourselves, how may we serve you Emilia-sama and friends? For what reason did you come here?"

"Hmm… uhm, well… I'm here for the Great Library. Supposedly, it might contain certain information I've been looking for," stated Emilia.

"Ah, the Great Library. I see that you came here to seek knowledge. How diligent. Well, certainly, Emilia-sama. We shall guide you there," assured Cerberus.

"We're also here to see if there's something that can cure and awaken Rem." Subaru looked down on Rem whom he had been carrying in his arms. "Do you know something that might work?"

"Hohhhh. I see you've been carrying that girl the entire time. You're her knight in shining armor, I suppose?" Scylla pointed out. "Ahhh~, how envious~."

"What's the matter with her? Is she afflicted with an illness?" asked Charybdis.

"Huhhh… how do I say this… well… her name and memories have been erased. No… she had been erased from existence…"

Subaru swallowed his throat. Even until now, Rem's situation is still difficult for him to talk about. He felt his heart wrench…

"Unfortunately, I do not know a cure for such a thing." Cerberus shook his head. "However, there are many items in this mansion I know nothing of. Hmm." He put a finger underneath his chin, thinking. "Perhaps, it's worth taking a look in that _room._ "

"That _room?_ Are you sure about this?" Charybdis asked, skeptical. "Besides, it usually takes something more than a physical item _to bring someone back into existence._ I doubt anything there would work."

"I have my own doubts as well. However, if such a cure really exists, that room will be the best place to look. Nevertheless, I suppose we should let them decide whether they want to take a look or not."

"What room are you guys talking about?" Subaru asked.

"It's a very unpleasant room," warned Cerberus.

"Unpleasant, huh? Well, I don't really give a damn. As long as it works, that's all that matters. Take me to that room!"

"Very well. I warned you."

Ultimately, the party decided to split into two groups. Emilia and Beatrice went with Cerberus to the Great Library, while the rest were guided by Scylla and Charybdis to the mysterious room.

Of course, because the Witch of Greed's servants arouses suspicion, Subaru and Ram weren't the biggest fans of the arrangement. In a situation where there's suspicion, splitting up is usually a bad idea. At least, according to the movies Subaru had seen back in his original world.

But…

"It'll be okay, Subaru! I can take care of myself. Please, rely a bit on me, okay? Besides, Beatrice is also with me." Emilia tried to convince him.

"Don't underestimate Betty, I suppose."

Thus, in the end, Subaru didn't have any other choice but to trust them… and to hope that the witch's servants aren't homicidal maniacs who will start murdering them as soon as they're split up.

Well, even if the servants are up to no good, he still has _that_ trump card. His very own special trump card.

A trump card that can literally reverse and fix any unfavorable situation…

* * *

On their way towards the Great Library, Emilia and Beatrice saw a portrait painting attached on the wall in one of the hallways.

The portrait showcases a white-haired man and a white-haired woman. Both have a domineering aura filled with pride and dignity. Naturally, they both have a very intimidating presence. They give the impression that they'll absolutely crush anyone who dared get in their way. Between them, there's a little girl around her early teens. Although the girl had a smile on her face, it seemed to be a sad, melancholic smile… indicating that it was a forced smile. Unlike the two adults in the portraits, she didn't have the same confident posture. Instead, she looked frail, weak, timid…

Emilia and Beatrice immediately recognized the identity of the girl.

"That's…"

"… Mother… I suppose…"

"Yes. This is Echidna-sama in her younger days." Cerberus confirmed. "The woman in the portrait is Lady Medea, Milady's mother and the Witch of Greed before Milady. The man is Augustus Corneas, Milady's father and he held the title Sorcerer of Greed."

Emilia fixed her eyes on the young Echidna in the portrait.

She can't quite understand her own feelings, but there's something resonating within her upon seeing the witch look so weak…

Maybe it's because the Echidna she knows is far from someone who can be classified as weak. Echidna IS strong, composed, confident, wicked, a genius, and maybe a little mean-spirited. That's the image of the witch Emilia built up in her mind. So, she can't understand the almost-pitiful state of the witch in the portrait.

Was it because of the illness she had been hearing about?

She dismissed that thought at the moment because there's something else that bothered her about what Cerberus said.

Her gaze shifted to the white-haired woman, Medea, Echidna's mother according to Cerberus.

"There's another Witch of Greed before Echidna?" asked the curious half-elf.

"Yes. It isn't limited to Greed, however. There are also previous generations that represented the other Sins. The passing down of Sins… perhaps, you can think of it as a cycle. The one responsible for this system would be the Sage."

"The Sage?"

"Flugel is one of those Sage, I suppose?"

"And what do you mean by the passing down of Sins?"

"Yes. Flugel was the previous and last Sage. The Sins are passed down by the Sage through something known as the Witch genes. Normally, candidates are chosen by the Sage to represent each Sin. However, Echidna-sama's case was an exception. Lady Medea wanted to keep the Greed genes, so she may pass it down to her own daughter after her time as the witch was over. Obviously, this didn't sit well with the Sage of her time. The Sage's purpose is to manage and administer the Witch genes, after all. Hence, Lady Medea escaped and establish this place as a hideout, sealed away from the rest of the world. Eventually, it grew to be a little city known as Aplistia."

"Echidna's mother wanted to pass down the Greed genes to her? Why?"

"Hm. Lady Medea was a seer who had the ability to 'see' glimpses of the future. One of her prophecies led her to believe Milady would save this world and set it free from its ' _birdcage_.' Furthermore, having been born with, quite literally, a broken, dysfunctional heart, Milady's birth was appropriately known to be a _miracle._ Having survived her birth, Lady Medea believed her daughter to be a 'Child of Destiny.' Perhaps, you can say that Milady was born to be the Witch who was destined to save the world. Eventually, Milady was to surpass and kill her own mother, taking the Greed genes for herself."

"…"

"Unfortunately, the transition was far from smooth. Along with her broken heart, Milady was also born with an incurable illness. As a result of her physical limitations, her magic was meager. Lady Medea began to doubt whether there's a merit to her prophecies. It led to… a lot of unpleasant situations, to say the least. Nevertheless, Milady was still the one who ultimately ended her own mother's life. And as a matter of course, she became the new Witch of Greed."

""…""

Both Emilia and Beatrice didn't know what to say after Cerberus reveal some details of Echidna's past life. Certainly, the information is new for both of them.

And before they can even organize their thoughts and begin asking questions, Cerberus chuckled and cleared his throat.

"In any case, shall we continue on to the Great Library?"

He started walking ahead of them, leaving them no room to argue.

Emilia and Beatrice glanced at each other, trying to find something to say. Unfortunately, nothing came out of their mouths. Thus, they have no other choice but to catch up with Cerberus.

After a few more minutes of walking, they reached the back door of the mansion and went outside. Behind the mansion, there's another massive building that's almost as big as the mansion.

"Well, here we are, Emilia-sama."

Cerberus proclaimed as he led them towards the building.

"You mean, this whole thing is the library?"

"Yes, Emilia-sama. This is the Great Library. Or perhaps, you can refer to it as the Library of Greed. After all, the ones responsible for this Library are greedy individuals whose thirst for knowledge can never be satiated. Hu hu hu. Well, well, come on now."

He opened the door for the two ladies, letting them inside.

"Woah…"  
"No way…"

Upon entering and seeing the contents of the Grand Library, they both let out a sound of astonishment.

There are rows upon rows of shelves filled with books that stretched the entirety of the library. It feels like the row of books could just stretch on and on forever…

Similar to the mansion, the floor tiles have the same black and white pattern. The ceiling was shaped like a dome. It was designed to look like a night sky with glowing stars, giving the library a mystical atmosphere.

"Well then, what is it you are looking for, Emilia-sama?" asked Cerberus.

"Uhm… let's see... is there anything here about the Witch of Envy?"

"Oh? I suppose you mean Satella the Witch of Envy, yes? How interesting. Well, while it isn't necessarily about Satella the Witch of Envy, there's a section related to the history of this world. It has some information about Envy. You may find it useful."

Emilia nodded.

"That's fine."

"Very well. If you would please follow me, Emilia-sama." Cerberus nodded and started leading them again.

"You have been rather curious about witches lately, I suppose?" Beatrice can't help but ask.

"Curiosity is a wonderful thing, isn't it? Heheh." Emilia giggled.

She finds it ironic how she used the witch's phrase.

* * *

Meanwhile, Scylla and Charybdis are leading Subaru, Ram, and Garfiel to the mysterious room the servants mentioned.

They are currently standing before a hidden door. Apparently, it led to the underground where the mysterious room is located.

"Natsuki Subaru. You and your companions may find this room unpleasant and incomprehensible, so I'll ask one last time. Do you wish to enter?" Charybdis warned.

"Yes~, yes~. It's reeeally unpleasant~. Fufu~." Scylla further exaggerated.

Subaru tried to convince himself that he'll be ready against whatever may be behind the door. Even so, he can't help but feel unsettled.

Just… what exactly lies behind the door?

He took a glance at Rem in his arms.

And it gave him all the courage he needed.

Thus, he faced the black-haired and white-haired servants.

"Ahh, yeah, yeah, I get it, I get it. It's really unpleasant. But you know what?! I don't give a damn! So how about let's just go in, eh?" Subaru grinned.

"Hmph," Ram smirked a little at Subaru's boldness.

"Very well, Natsuki Subaru." Charybdis closed her eyes.

Then, she murmured…

"Please forgive us unworthy furniture for intruding on your sacred room, Lady Medea."

She pushed the underground door open, revealing stairs going downwards. Afterward, she and Scylla entered first.

Ram descended down the stairs next. On cue, the two boys followed after her.

As the three were descending down the stairs, blinding white lights were suddenly turned on, revealing the room.

The room is entirely white. Of course, most of the whiteness had been overtaken by stains, molds, and rusts due to the passage of time. Nevertheless, the room still feels like a blinding _prison_ of white.

There are cabinets attached to the wall and tables containing bottles, graduated cylinders, and flasks with various chemicals inside.

And then,

There are also cages…

...

...

...

With skeletons locked inside!

Not to mention, there's also a metallic bed with a skeleton shackled in it!

Subaru covered his mouth and coughed, preventing himself from vomiting. Likewise, Garfiel does the same. Even Ram cringed at the sight.

Now, Subaru definitely knows why this room is considered to be very "unpleasant."

It was an experiment room!

WITH HUMAN TEST SUBJECTS!

"URGGGKKKK!" He gasped.

"Fufu~. Don't say we didn't warn you~," teased Scylla, placing both hands on her hips.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Subaru shouted, glancing around the room frantically.

It was a rhetorical question. Of course, he knew exactly what the room is.

And, after composing himself a little…

He took a deep breath.

"I knew that deep down, Echidna was a cruel and sadistic person whose damn curiosity always get the better of her. She made that obvious to me at the very end of our encounter. But this… I guess human experiments isn't out of the question for her either."

"Allow me to correct the misunderstanding you have, Natsuki Subaru." Charybdis turned to him. "This is not Echidna-sama's work. This was the work of her mother, the former mistress of this mansion, Lady Medea."

"Huh?"

Medea?

Now that's a name he hadn't heard before.

"But of course, Echidna-sama has done faaaaar better work than this~. Fufu~." Scylla boasted of her master. "No offense to you, Lady Medea~. But like you wished for, your lovely daughter has far surpassed you~. My, Echidna-sama truly is a cultured woman who knows how to craft an exquisite work of art~. Fufu~."

Subaru gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

He doesn't know who Medea is, and since this is apparently her experiment room according to the servants, he'd rather not know about her either. Although, this explains where Echidna had taken her twisted habits from.

But… to hear Scylla make light of death… and having experienced the displeasure of death several times himself!

The unbearable pain… as well as the mental torture that comes along with it.

To hear someone make light of death…

IT PISSED HIM OFF!

"Exquisite work of art? Do you think this is some fun and game where human lives are concerned?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS, RIGHT?!"

At first, Scylla was taken aback by his raised voice. Her stormy eyes have the same look of a child's when they get scolded and told they can't do something they thought was a fun thing to do. But, she quickly recovered from her slight bewilderment. Afterward, her lips curved into a smirk, staring at Subaru with childish amusement. Her eyes glint in excitement.

"Yes~, yes~, this is all fun and games~."

"You…" He let out a low growl.

Charybdis sighed and turned to the black-haired servant.

"Stand down, Scylla. You should not upset our guest."

Unfortunately, Scylla dismissed her and continued staring at Subaru with her mischievous eyes.

"You know, there's actually a good reason for these experiments." She claimed.

"Good reason? Don't fuck with me. I don't care who the hell is responsible for these experiments, or the reason behind them. This... this is fucked up! What could possibly be a good reason to do something so fucked up like this?!"

"Lady Medea's experiments have the intention of inventing cures for certain diseases and illnesses, saving countless lives in the process. She had saved much more lives relative to the minuscule amount of sacrifice needed to make certain cures. For instance, let's say one human sacrifice has a 50% chance of discovering a cure for an incurable plague. However, for argument's case, let's say the unfortunate happen and the first experiment failed. Now comes the 2nd experiment which will either increase the chance of success by a certain percentage after learning why the previous attempt failed, or not if nothing new had been discovered. Whatever the case may be, after repeated trial and error, a cure will _certainly_ be discovered eventually. Maybe a couple of lives were sacrificed. Maybe 10 lives were sacrificed. Maybe even a hundred lives. But, in change, it will save the lives of thousands. So, wouldn't you say that's a favorable trade-off? Or perhaps, you think it's better to let the disease eat away the lives of countless people? Fufu~."

"What kind of twisted logic is that?! THAT'S COMPLETELY BULLSHIT! No sacrifices are ever worth it! Do you think those who will be saved by the cure will feel comfortable knowing the cure was paid by blood?!"

"Ara~, people are more twisted than you think, Natsuki Subaru. I believe most of them will simply be indifferent towards the sacrifices as long as their own lives had been saved. Perhaps, they may feel pity and apologetic for a few days after learning about it. But deep down, they don't really care. After a week, they won't even remember the sacrifices anymore! That is human nature."

"True, that may be the case for SOME, but you can't judge everyone like that!"

"Ara~, but I do believe MOST humans are like that~."

"Even so, that doesn't excuse human sacrifices! I think that's just some lame ass excuse to fulfill the damn twisted and sadistic curiosity of whoever the hell performed these experiments! I'm sure that's the real intent of these experiments! I mean, why can't they use other alternatives instead?! It doesn't have to be humans, right?! Why not use animals?!"

"Fufu~. Then, let me ask you this, Natsuki Suuuuubaru~. What makes it okay to sacrifice an animal, but not a human?"

"Grkk…"

Subaru was left speechless for a moment.

"Well… th-that's because…"

"Well, Natsuki Subaru, according to your argument, sacrificing a human is wrong, but sacrificing an animal is more acceptable. Going by your logic, let's say, for example, your beast human friend right there is to be sacrificed… does that mean it would be 50% acceptable, 50% wrong?" Scylla asked with a twisted smile, staring at Garfiel.

"Ekkk!" Garfiel gulped.

"You bitch…" Subaru let out a low growl again.

"You see, Natsuki Subaru, I do not see a distinction between a human and an animal. I believe both should have an equal right to live. So, why? Why is it generally acceptable to sacrifice animals? Why is it acceptable to consume them? Is it because humans are smarter? Stronger? More developed? Animals have emotions too, you know~. So, then. What if a much more developed species with an appetite for human flesh appears? Is it okay for that species to sacrifice and consume humans? What makes it any different than how humans treat animals?"

"Everyone has their own perspective regarding morality, Scylla-san."

Ram intruded in the conversation before the irate Subaru can state his retort.

"Perhaps, it's a way for humans to look past the sins they have committed against what they consider to be lesser species. Regardless, there is no right or wrong answer regarding this matter. It all depends on one's perspective."

As Subaru tries to argue again, Ram placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Quiet, Barusu. Do not embarrass yourself any further. You too, Scylla-san. Please, stand down and forgive his foolishness. We are forgetting the reason why we're in this unpleasant room in the first place."

"Fufu, isn't that right?" Charybdis agreed with Ram. "The argument is heading towards a wacky direction, so how about let's shut it down and try to find what we're looking for? Then, we can stop wasting time and get out of this unpleasant room. And Scylla, you are stepping out of place. Please remember your _role_."

"Fufu~, very well~." Scylla smiled and nodded. "Please, everyone. Forgive me for forgetting my place as a lowly servant. You have my deepest apologies, Natsuki Subaru. Please, you have no need to take the words and logic of a foolish furniture to heart. Unless, of course, you want to take my sweet words to heart~. Fufu~."

She bowed her head down apologetically.

It's hard to tell whether her 'apology' was actually sincere or not. Nonetheless, Subaru isn't one bit satisfied by the conclusion of his argument with Scylla. But, he decides to play along for Rem's sake.

He glared at Scylla with a mischievous look of his own, grinning playfully.

"No, thanks! You and Char-whatever right there are certified beauties and have decent bust size, I can admit that. Hell, I try so hard not to get a nosebleed whenever I look at the two of you! AHHH, it's seriously a challenge not to do so! Unfortunately, you're a little bit twisted for my tastes! It's such a shame, really. Hehe. And besides, I already have two girls in my heart, so thanks, but no thanks!"

"Ahh~, to be rejected by such a charming boy~. My heart breaks~. Fufu~."

Subaru shifted his gaze on Rem with a soft smile.

"Sorry, Rem. I got a little side-tracked."

He takes a deep sigh and tries to set aside his disgust towards the room at the moment.

"Okay. No more fooling around. Let's go try and find if there's something that can help Rem."

* * *

 **? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?**

"The pieces are now in place. Is it time for despair to begin? Ohohohohohohohoho!"

A shrill voice declared, her pleasant laugh reverberating in the darkness.

"I suppose. But... there are _uninvited guests._ This… this is not what I intended. Hm, it appears a certain someone is once again interrupting the story I'm trying to carve. I suppose she saw my _counter attack_ coming, huh? Seriously, what a troublesome girl. To not only ruin and change the direction of the story by being naughty and spilling a forbidden secret, but there's no doubt she's directly challenging me now. A declaration of war, I guess."

A second voice, a voice of an alluring girl, complained.

"That's right. She's really a troublesome girl, isn't she? Not to mention, she's also backed by that kid. Ahhhhhh~, they make for a troublesome pair."

"Hm, no matter. I will just have to make a few _adjustments_. Her interference is nothing more but a nuisance. After all, I still have your favor, correct?"

"Yup, yup! As long as you don't piss me off and entertain me, I'll continue to be your ally!"

"How comforting. Then, surely, by the end of this arc, _**a revival shall**_ **occur**. And there's nothing she can do about it."

"And that revival shall engulf this world in super-duper darkness! I can't wait to watch that scene with popcorn! Ohohohohohohohohohohoho!"

...

...

...

 **By the end of this arc,**

 **A revival will certainly occur.**


	8. The Shrine of Greed III

**The Shrine of Greed III: Goodnight, X-X-X**

* * *

"The Witch of Envy candidates… they were all… silver-haired half-elves? Every… single… one of them?"

Emilia silently read one of the books she found. It was titled, "The History of Witches."

As the title of the book indicates, it was about the history of the witches. The information the book provides include several interpretations of each Sin, the name of the witches that represented the seven Sins, the different versions of their Authority, their history (although a lot of the witches' histories were missing or unknown), and their notable deeds (if any).

After skimming through the book, Sekhmet the Witch of Sloth and Medea the Witch of Greed were the only names she recognized. Satella, Echidna, and Minerva's names were nowhere to be found, which meant the book must have been written around Medea's time. It was written before the previous generation of the Witches of Sin which included Echidna and Satella.

Regardless, the most relevant information she found was those who became the Witch of Envy were all silver-haired half-elves.

" _I wonder why that's the case. It almost sounds like a mandatory requirement to be a silver-haired half-elf in order to become the Witch of Envy…"_

And, because she also happens to be a silver-haired half-elf…

Does it, in any way, indicate she's supposed to be the next Witch of Envy candidate after Satella?

Is that her connection to Satella that Echidna mentioned?

She can't help but think there's more to it…

Although, does having the same appearance as the typical Witch of Envy candidate provide enough proof she's one?

For now, there's no way for her to know for sure.

Echidna may be the only one who can answer that question for her.

She wondered if there's any way for her to return to the witch's Dream World. Perhaps, she can ask the servants about it…

" _I'm… not seriously thinking of meeting with her again, am I?"_

"You look satisfied. Have you found what you are looking for, I wonder?" Beatrice asked, putting aside the book she had been reading.

She seems to be reading a book full of illustrations and speech bubbles.

"Yes." Emilia nodded. "But…"

 _It's still not enough. I want to know more._

"Yes, I'm satisfied for now. What about you, Beatrice? How would you compare this library to the Forbidden Archive?"

"It's satisfactory, I suppose. There are many spell tomes I had never seen before. Also, the books in that section are rather strange, I suppose," said Beatrice, eyeing the section labeled 'Books from Another World.'

Emilia's eyes followed Beatrice's gaze.

"Yeah. It's full of books from languages we don't know."

"Hm. As the label of the section states, they are books from another world." Cerberus started explaining. "The book Beatrice is reading comes from a nation known as Japan. It is one of the many nations in that other world. Naturally, it is written in the Japanese language. The book is commonly known as a manga. It is another form of storytelling through the use of illustration and speech bubbles."

"Man… ga… I suppose?"

Beatrice attempted to say the word. Then, she let out a heavy sigh and closed the book.

"Anyway, I do not understand the words. There's no point in trying to fry my mind over it. I will look for a more useful book that I can actually understand, I suppose."

She got up her seat and searched for something else to read. She went to the section where the magical spell tomes were arranged.

"In any case, Emilia-sama, is there another book you are searching for?" asked Cerberus.

"Well… for the most part, I just want more information on Satella… but it appears most books here were written before her time. Perchance, if there's anything here you think that can help further my understand, then if you would so kindly recommend me something…"

"Hmm…" Cerberus' stance changed into a thinking posture. "Oh, I know something that might help."

He left briefly to get something. Soon, he returned with a couple of books and a scroll in hand.

"These books have records of the world's history, while this…" He placed the scroll on the table. "This is one of Lady Medea's prophecies. A prediction of a Great Tragedy. Most likely, it's a prediction of the tragedy that took place 400 years ago."

"The Great Tragedy…" Emilia repeated.

She rolled the scroll open.

These words were written…

 _A great deceit shall tear apart the two in love,  
_ _And spiral the world towards its end,_

 _The one whose deprived of her love shall accept her incompatible sin to her very core,  
_ _And madness shall reign within the one's inner conflict,  
_ _Commencing the forthcoming calamity._

 _In the night of Wrath,  
_ _The wrathful one shall die insane by the trap's allure._

 _In the night of Lust,  
_ _The lustful one shall be burned into ashes._

 _In the night of Gluttony,  
_ _The gluttonous one shall meet a slow end in the endless sand._

 _In the night of Pride,  
_ _The prideful one shall be crushed by the raging waters._

 _In the night of Sloth,  
_ _The slothful one shall fall down the great waterfall._

 _In the night of Greed,  
_ _The greedy one shall be torn apart and become the soul._

 _In the night of Envy,  
_ _The envious one shall engulf the world in complete darkness._

 _Only then, will the_ _preparations for a new journey be complete._

 _Amidst a sea of darkness, a new world shall be born anew,  
_ _Starting from Zero._

* * *

"What about this?"

Subaru asked, holding one of the bottles containing a certain chemical.

"Hmm..." Scylla leaned closer, observing the bottle.

"You're too close…"

He tried to notify her. He can almost feel her breathing down his neck... however, the black-haired servant didn't seem to care one bit about his personal space.

"Ah! I believe that's used for easing a coughing fit. I think…" She gave a rather clumsy explanation. "I'm sure it has nothing to do with bringing someone back into existence~. It's a cure for whatever physical inconvenience~. I can tell that much~."

"No good again, huh?" He frowned.

By now, this was the 12th container he observed.

And he still hasn't found anything that can bring back Rem.

Ram and Garfiel have also been searching and observing the medicinal bottles across the room.

Unfortunately, they haven't found anything that can bring back Rem either.

At this point, it's becoming more certain that there's nothing here that can bring her back. All the items in this room were created to treat what Scylla described to be "physical inconvenience." There isn't anything here that can bring someone back into existence.

It seems the search for Rem's cure turned out to be completely useless, after all.

"Well. The chances weren't very high in the first place. At least I tried. It's still frustrating though…"

Subaru sighed.

"Even so, these are very impressive, I admit… assuming they actually work, obviously…"

He stared at the row of bottles around the room.

"I mean, even if the methods of inventing them is extremely shady… to be able to make them with limited resources and without the benefit of scientific advancement from my world… I don't know that much about scientific and medical stuff, but it's impressive… I think. Hopefully, they work, at least…"

He silently murmured to himself.

"See? I told you so~. Fufu~." Scylla, who seemed to have heard him, giggled.

"It still doesn't excuse human sacrifices." He reminded her.

"If you say so, Natsuki Subaru~." She just smiled at him.

Well, at least Scylla didn't provoke him into another argument. He didn't feel like arguing with her anymore. So, he's glad that discussion seems to be over with and she seems to have accepted his viewpoint. Not that he accepted her viewpoint as well… but he could definitely do with this "peace." And truthfully, he prefers her when she's not enthusiastically talking about human sacrifices. She's rather cute and lovely on the surface.

"Sry' boss. I ain't found nythin'." Garfiel joined them.

"This search has been completely useless, Barusu." An annoyed Ram soon followed.

Lastly, Charybdis appeared before them with an apologetic look.

"I apologize. I tried my best, but I am certain there's nothing here that can help that girl."

"I see." Subaru sighed once again. "Anyway, don't beat yourself too much over it. I do appreciate your effort in trying to help."

The stoic white-haired servant just nodded and didn't bother saying anything more.

While he still didn't trust any of the Witch of Greed's servants, his opinion of them has definitely improved. If anything, the help they offered was genuine. But, he still can't discount the possibility they have an ulterior motive. The Witch of Greed is one sneaky bastard, after all.

For now, it's best to try and get along with them, while exercising caution.

"Eh, so what now, boss?" asked Garfiel.

"Let's go back to the main hall and wait for Emilia-tan there. Hopefully, she found something useful. Otherwise, this whole trip would be completely pointless."

"Everything we did was utterly useless, Barusu. A waste of time." Ram suddenly pointed out.

"Yeah… I get it, nee-san, bu-"

"Also, Barusu, did you not say that girl is supposed to figure out how to get us out of the mess you put us through? What was it again? Oh, that's right. We don't even have any transportation back to the mansion because _'I'm sure we'll figure something out when we go back. Who knows? Maybe Rem is going to be the one to figure out.'_ Unfortunately, in case you did not notice, that girl is still _asleep_ , so I guess our only option is to walk all the way back. How will you take responsibility for this?"

Ram sarcastically reminded Subaru of the predicament facing them once they leave the shrine.

"Grkkk…" He gasped.

"H-hey! How the heck do you still remember what I said word for word?! I'm not even sure if that's what I exactly said! A-anyway, I'm still confident we'll find something to take us back to the mansion and we don't have to walk all the way! And like I said, I didn't make a promise that I'll bring Rem back NOW. But someday, I promised that I will! This was just an honest attempt to try and do so."

"Barusu, I have kept quiet regarding this matter all this time, but must I remind you how dangerous making a foolish promise is? Do you not remember when you embarrassed yourself in front of Emilia-sama back in the capital?"

"Foolish? Ram…" said Subaru.

His voice was dangerously low.

"What… are you trying to imply?"

"I'm going to get straight to the point. I don't think there's anything that can help that girl. So, it's best if you give up this foolish hope, Barusu. Her name had been erased from history? From existence? What does that even mean? And assuming the explanation behind her predicament isn't completely nonsensical, how would you even bring her back?" She closed her eyes. "I knew this ridiculous journey was foolish from the start. I should have decided against it even if it wasn't in my place."

"HEY, NEE-SAN! DO YOU EVEN REALIZE THIS IS YOUR PRECIOUS SISTER YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT?!" He snapped.

Ram telling him to give up on Rem…

This is too much…

He can't stand it!

"Nee-san? Would you please stop calling me that, Barusu? It's annoying. And… whether she's my sister or not… that's beside the point. Right now, I know almost nothing of her outside of what you have told me. She's nothing but a complete stranger to me."

"AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I NEED TO BRING HER BACK! HER OWN SISTER DOESN'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE HER!"

He gritted his teeth, tears were threatening to spill.

"I… I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE UP ON REM! NEVER! I WILL MAKE YOU REMEMBER YOUR OWN SISTER AGAIN, RAM! I WILL MAKE EVERYONE REMEMBER REM AGAIN!"

Ram shook her head. She's looking at him with pitying eyes.

"How foolish, Barusu."

"Okay… so it didn't work this time… it's completely useless! Maybe I got too hopeful when Ros-chi mentioned something about a cure… maybe that was very stupid of me! But even so, THERE'S NO WAY I'M GIVING UP. No matter how many times I fail, I will keep trying again and again! The chances were very slim in the first place! There was simply a tiny chance, so I took it and tried! This isn't anything here that should discourage us. So, please… STOP SAYING SUCH BULLSHIT, NEE-SAN! I'M GOING TO BRING BACK REM!"

He has to!

For his sake… for Ram's sake… for everyone's sake!

At this instance, Ram doesn't even know she's talking down on her beloved sister she once threatened to kill him over for!

It's just so messed up how this situation came to be.

"…"

Ram didn't reply.

And so, the room was engulfed with tense silence.

"Ara~. What drama… fufu~." Scylla giggled awkwardly.

"… shall we go back to the main hall?" Charybdis reminded them of their initial intent.

Subaru nodded.

He glances at Rem in his arms.

A tear fell out of his eye.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, Rem…"

He whispered softly.

Ram gave him a sharp glare before turning to leave the room.

Garfiel looked back and forth between him and Ram who began ascending the stairs. Eventually, he expressed an apologetic look to Subaru and followed after Ram.

"I know it isn't in my place to ask. But, perchance, is this the work of Gluttony?" Charybdis asked.

"Yeah…"

"I see. I am probably breaking a certain _rule_. But, Natsuki Subaru… you are right not to give up. I am forbidden to state what it is exactly, but it is possible to save that girl from Gluttony. As long as you continue fighting for her sake and never give up, I believe you can make it happen eventually."

She gave a brief nod before she left the room.

"H-hey, w-wait!"

He tried to stop her and ask questions, but it appears that's as far as she can reveal. She ignored his call and continue walking on.

"Chary…" Scylla softly whispered.

Then, she turned to Subaru.

"Well, come on now~. Let us meet with Emilia-sama and the others~."

* * *

By the time everyone met up in the hallway, it was already night time.

Subaru was surprised by how much time had already passed.

The witch's servants are currently preparing dinner. Ram is also helping them out as a servant herself. Garfiel is sitting at one of the chairs, looking bored out of his mind. And Beatrice has her eyes fixed on a book she must have found in the library.

"Subaru…" Emilia approached him. "Where's Rem?"

"Oh, I settled her down on one of the rooms."

"I see. So, uhmmm… I suppose… you weren't able to find anything…"

"No."

He forced a grin.

"Oh well. Better luck next time, I guess?"

She forced a smile as well.

"That's right. Never give up, Subaru!"

"What about you, Emilia-tan? I hope you were more successful than I was. Were you able to find anything?"

"Yes. I was able to find books about the witches and some of the world's history before the tragedy 400 years ago."

"Ohhh? Nice. Sooo, did you learn anything interesting?"

"Uhmmm…"

She wondered if she should tell him about the Witch of Envy candidates. And the possibility that she might be one herself.

" _How would Subaru react if I tell him?"_

In the end, she decided against it.

"Not yet. I did not get a chance to read them thoroughly, but Cerberus gave me permission to take these books back with me. However, there's this…"

She took out a scroll and opened it.

"This is one of the prophecies of Medea, the former Witch of Greed and Echidna's mother. It's a prediction of an impending tragedy. The tragedy 400 years ago."

"Medea?"

" _Didn't Scylla and Char-whatever say she was the one responsible for that experiment room?"_

"You know about her?"

"Not much. Cerberus only told me a little about her."

Subaru nodded. Then, he started reading the scroll.

After finishing, he tried to figure out the meaning behind the riddle-like words.

Based on his knowledge, the one who took the "incompatible sin" must be Satella. He can vaguely remember the witches reveal there are two personalities residing within her; Satella herself and an entity called the Witch of Envy. Apparently, it was because the Witch genes were incompatible with Satella. Thus, it created another personality within her.

The lines, " _The one whose deprived of her love shall accept her incompatible sin to her very core,_ _And madness shall reign within the one's inner conflict,"_ certainly matched Satella's situation. Therefore, she's most likely to be "the one."

But what did, _"deprived of her love"_ meant?

Does it have anything to do with him? It's obvious The Witch loves him, although he doesn't know why. He found it strange how her "love" didn't feel out of place either.

Moving on, the next several lines appear to be a prediction of the witches' deaths.

However, weren't they supposed to be "swallowed" by Satella? That was how they died, right?

In the Dream World, the witches were being vague about this. Not to mention, they didn't seem to hold a grudge against Satella with the exception of Echidna. So, it's hard to tell if the prediction of their deaths were any accurate.

Finally, the opening lines beginning with _"the two in love shall be torn apart"_ and the last line _"Amidst the darkness, a new world shall be born anew, Starting from Zero"_ bothered him a lot.

Unfortunately, he didn't have a clue what it was talking about.

"What the hell do they mean?"

He clutched his head.

"Ahh, thinking too much about this is hurting my head."

Emilia gigged.

"Heheh. Let us figure this out together, Subaru."

"Right! Let's go, Emilia-tan!"

And so, racking their brains together, they tried to figure out the meaning of those lines…

To no avail.

Soon, the preparations were finally finished, and everyone ate a lavish dinner.

During dinner, they have also agreed to stay the night in the mansion and leave tomorrow morning.

After dinner, they were preparing to head back to the respective rooms they were assigned to.

"Thanks a lot for your help today, Cerberus, Scylla, Charybdis. The dinner was also magnificent."

Emilia thanked them with a smile.

"Thank you for your kind words, Emilia-sama." Cerberus bowed gracefully.

"With pleasure, Emilia-sama~." Scylla returned her smile.

"We do not deserve such high praise from you, Emilia-sama. Nevertheless, thank you," said Charybdis with her eyes closed.

"Anyway, I also apologize for acting like an ass the entire day." Subaru chimed in. "You guys are actually pretty cool, you know?"

"There is no need for that, Natsuki Subaru-san." Cerberus dismissed his apology. "We are very much aware that we are very suspicious individuals. We are the servants of a dubious witch, after all. Hu hu hu."

"Even so, I really appreciate your help today! Even if it turned out to be pointless in the end!"

Scylla and Charybdis closed their eyes and didn't say anything. Cerberus just gave him a slight nod.

Dinner was over.

And so, after exchanging goodnights, everyone went to either their respective room or elsewhere.

* * *

Before he went back to his room, Subaru stopped by Rem's room to check on her.

 _Sleeping_ like this, with her eyes closed… she looks very peaceful and innocent.

It invoked the "MUST PROTECT" feelings within him.

"Rem." He said with a soft smile.

"I'm sorry, but it looks like you're going to have to wait a bit longer. Have a little patience in me, okay? I'm going to keep doing my best for you."

He gently brushed her bangs aside and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I'll see you again tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Rem."

He gave her one final glance before he closed the door to her room.

* * *

"So, Subaru didn't find a cure for that girl. You must be sooooo satisfied, right? Heheheh."

As soon as Emilia went inside her room, she was immediately greeted by the entity she named "Fake Emilia," an annoying illusion who kept appearing inside her mind lately for whatever reason.

"You again…" The half-elf frowned. "What do you want this time?"

"Nooothing~. Nothing at all~. I just want to congratulate you for such a wonderful day. Not only have you made some progress in your accumulation of knowledge about Satella, but you also received some clues about what happened 400 years ago. And to put the cherry on top, your rival in love remains a sleeping beauty. What a lovely day. Heheh," the illusion teased.

"Whatever. I won't bother correcting your nonsensical words anymore. Arguing with you is a pain in the ass."

She ignored the illusion and went straight to bed.

"Well, now that you _congratulated_ me, isn't it about time for you to disappear?"

"Please, don't be like that. Don't speak such harsh words to _yourself_."

The half-elf didn't enlighten her with a response and closed her eyes.

"I just want to have a delightful conversation with you. It's rather lonely by myself, you know?"

"…"

"Hey, what do you think of those servants? I think they're a little creepy. But then again, it's already a given considering they serve that greedy girl."

"…"

"Hmm. Now that I think about it… doesn't Beatrice share a close relationship with Subaru? What about that pink-haired maid? Should we be envious of them?"

"…"

"H-hey… you're not just going to ignore me, are you?"

"…"

"Hey! Talk to me! I'm bored and lonely!"

"Please, keep your voice down. I'm trying to sleep."

"H-"

"Goodnight, _fake me_ _._ "

"…"

The illusion narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.

She glared at the sleeping girl with disdain.

"Fine. Be like that, then." She said with spite.

Then, she disappeared.

* * *

Ram went outside of the mansion to get some fresh air. Well, the air doesn't feel fresh at all. But, being alone underneath the night sky gave her a peace of mind.

"…"

She grimaced, remembering her words to Subaru earlier.

Was she being harsh?

Certainly, she was really annoyed about Subaru's careless actions in hopes of awakening the sleeping blue-haired girl. It's that type of foolishness that could easily land him into trouble. She only wishes for the _idiot_ to be more careful and responsible.

But… what if the blue-haired girl called Rem really is her beloved sister?

She felt a sharp ache in her chest.

"Why…"

"Yo. Ya alright?"

She heard a familiar voice behind her.

She didn't need to turn around to figure out who it was.

"I'm fine."

She assured Garfiel.

"Anyway, what are you doing here? Isn't it your bedtime already?"

"Ahh, I saw ya walkin' out the mansion. Been wonderin' what's with ya, so I followed! Sry!"

"Hmph."

She crossed her arms.

Then, her expression softened a bit. She smiled slightly.

He couldn't see her rare smile, of course… because she had her back turned on him and it was dark.

"Thank you."

"Huh? What fer?"

"Nothing…"

"Ermm, kay?"

"Trust me, I'm fine, kid. Now, you better get going before you start annoying me."

"Ya sure y-"

"Yes, I'll be fine by myself. I came here to have some alone time. And you're disturbing it."

"Errr.. ehh… if yer sure... kay, then! Aye, aye!" He saluted and grinned before he walked back to the mansion.

All by herself again, she let out a sigh.

"Anyway, what… should I do?"

She said to no one in particular.

* * *

Beatrice was sitting in front of the room's desk filled with many books Cerberus permitted her to borrow from the library.

However, she isn't in the mood to read books. Right now, she's looking at a small picture she found inside a book. In the picture, there was Echidna with the same melancholic smile in the portrait painting she saw earlier.

"Mother…"

The book which concealed the picture is a diary belonging to none other than Echidna herself.

Of all books… of all the thousands of books in the library… she just happened to come across the witch's diary…

Is it a coincidence? Or is it fate?

She only read a little of it… just enough to know it belonged to Echidna. She's too afraid to keep on reading, afraid of what she'll learn… afraid that her "mother" may not be who she thought she was…

She remembered Cerberus' words from earlier. A brief glimpse of the witch's past.

Echidna... The girl who was miraculously born into the world with a broken heart and an incurable illness. The girl who was fated to become the Witch of Greed. The girl who was fated to save the world. The girl who was fated to kill her very own mother…

Beatrice can't even imagine a scenario in which she'll have to kill Echidna, not even if she was forced to. She would rather die.

But… according to Cerberus, Echidna _ended_ her own mother's life anyway.

Besides that, she also found out where Echidna had gotten her desire to save the world from.

She would have preferred her "mother" to live a normal life with her and Roswaal, but Echidna was always obsessed with trying to save the world. It was to the point where she had even started engaging in questionable acts.

If only Echidna didn't have that goal… then, maybe… maybe… Beatrice wouldn't have suffered centuries of loneliness.

But then again, if her "mother" wasn't always trying to save the world, maybe Beatrice wouldn't have even been "born" in the first place…

Beatrice sighed.

"The past is past, I suppose…"

She placed the picture back inside the diary.

She hugged the diary close to her.

While she has no intention of reading it, she decided to keep it anyway.

It's a property of her "mother," after all…

It's her duty to look over it and keep it safe.

Not out of contractual obligation.

It was her personal obligation to do so.

* * *

The witch's servants were gathered together.

"Sooo, what now?" Scylla asked.

"…"

Cerberus paused briefly.

"For now, stay alert. _It_ could begin at any moment."

"Understood." Charybdis nodded.

"That is all." He dismissed them.

Both girls nodded and left the vicinity.

Afterward, he entered one of the rooms.

A flurry of glowing white butterflies was fluttering all over the room.

"…"

"What will happen now, I wonder?"

* * *

The next morning

Subaru stretched his arms and let out a heavy yawn.

Yesterday's events took quite a toll on his body. Not only did he spend the good portion of yesterday traveling, but he had also been carrying Rem in his arms for a few hours straight.

He did have a good sleep, however. So, the soreness should disappear fairly soon.

He rose from the bed and got out of the room.

He wondered if anyone else is already awake. They're supposed to leave early today, so they'll make it back to Roswaal's mansion before night.

"Oh, I should probably check on Rem and greet her a good morning." He said to himself.

Thus, he started making his way towards Rem's room.

Once he arrived outside the door…

Something…

Didn't feel right…

There's a strong premonition… of misfortune... and something really unpleasant...

He doesn't know what invoked those feelings…

But…

Something was strange…

Whatever it is…

His vision is still a little blurry…

So, when it cleared up…

He realized what gave him a strange feeling…

On the door leading to Rem's room, these words were written…

 **'GOODNIGHT, REM'**

… with what appears to be a red paint.

It's paint… right?

Or maybe…

A red ink, perhaps?

"Huh?"

Whatever it is…

It's eerie…

And frankly…

A little creepy…

So...

"Who the hell wrote this?"

Thus…

Nervously…

With a trembling hand…

Subaru reached for the door's handle…

Twisting it...

And pushed the door open…

...

What the hell...

Is that scenery before him?

Is there...

Any appropriate words to explain it?

It took him a moment to react...

But...

"GRGHAGHADOUFHDAUOHGREOIGJMERPIGMEROPGMPOSMSDKMDSOIGNSO"

He let out an incomprehensible choking sound when he realized just what lies inside the room as if someone just slapped him awake.

"ARGHHHHH HUGHHHHHHHH ARGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH HAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

He collapsed on his knees.

His whole body was shaking.

Sweat fell down his face.

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

He roared a cry of anguish.

Inside the room, there was Rem…

Th-th-th-th-th-th-that's REM, right?!

RIGHT?!

IS THAT REALLY REM?!

Is that really Rem...

With a rope around her neck…

Hanged…

Her head was leaning unnaturally towards the left...

The left side of her face was mutilated…

Her left arm was missing…

The fingers on her right hand were missing…

Her right arm was twisted…

Both of her legs were her twisted…

And both of her feet were twisted…

There were numerous cuts and slashes throughout her body…

And most of her…

Was painted…

In red…

On the floor…

There were spilled flesh and organs…

And what appears to be an eyeball…

"AGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! GUKKKKHHHH GUKKHHHH GUKKHHH GUKKHHH GUREHSKADMAOSFNIURHNUGNOIJVSDIPJVDSVMSDIOVREUJVREFJ09ISD!"

Subaru started vomiting, tears spilling out of his eyes.

"W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-WHO THE FUCK DID THIS?!"

"R-REM REM REM REM REM REM REM REM REM REM REM REM?!"

He started trashing the ground with his fists, crying and screaming in anguish.

"RAGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


	9. The Shrine of Greed IV

**The Shrine of Greed IV: Without Hope, They Remain...**

* * *

Emilia, Ram, Beatrice, and Garfiel stood in front of Rem's hanged body.

"How distasteful! Who committed this atrocity, I wonder?!" Beatrice wondered in anger. She looked visibly upset.

"Ughh!" Emilia covered her mouth with both hands. Her eyes widened in astonishment.

"Fkin' ell…" Garfiel muttered silently. He looked as shocked as the other two did.

"…" Ram closed her eyes and grimaced.

When they heard Subaru's screams of anguish, they immediately rushed inside Rem's room. And upon seeing what made him scream, they were taken aback by the horrifying sight that greeted them. The sight of Rem's mutilated body, hanged by a rope…

They wished they haven't entered the room. They wished they could erase the horrible image from their minds. Unfortunately, it's far too late for that.

Once they expressed their shock and displeasure, none of them were able to say anything. What… can one possibly say in a situation like this?

Subaru was on his knees. His entire body was still shaking in a state of shock.

"Scylla, Charybdis. I believe it's best if we clean up this… unpleasant view," suggested Cerberus, breaking the eerie silence that dominated the room.

"Yes." Both servants nodded in agreement.

Unlike the others, the servants didn't seem to be showing any particular reaction… as if everything was completely normal… as if there was no brutalized corpse hanging by a rope in front of them... Perhaps, a scenery like this is a normal occurrence for them. So, over time, the "novelty" probably wore off.

"If you would please excuse us," Cerberus said to the guests and proceeded to walk to where Rem's corpse was hanged.

However, before the witch's servants can reach her, Subaru suddenly stood up to prevent them from getting any closer to Rem's corpse.

"Don't you dare fucking touch her." He threatened, glaring at them with murderous eyes.

Despite his screams from earlier, his tone sounded surprisingly calm. But, it carried a dose of venom within it.

Right now, he looked very threatening…

… which unsettled Emilia.

"S-Subaru?" She weakly called his name out.

" _That's right… the only thing I can do now… is to slaughter the bastards who did this to Rem and make them pay. I want them to suffer a worse fate than this."_ Subaru thought to himself. _"There's no point continuing to mope around. This must be done, at the very least. A-and then... after that... I-I can... Return by..."_

Cerberus sighed as if he was able to read Subaru's thoughts.

"I see. Well, I do not blame you, Natsuki Subaru-san. I completely understand how you feel."

"What do you mean?" Emilia asked. "What's going on with Subaru?"

"He believes we are the culprits behind this murder… that we are the ones who did this to the girl." He explained.

"But…"

Emilia wanted to halt that suspicion for a moment. While there's no doubt that the witch's servants are the most obvious candidates for the culprits behind this murder, she just didn't want to suspect anyone without certainty. Besides, even if they did have a reason for doing this… why would they even commit a murder that would easily place suspicion upon them? And why are they still here? If anything, they should have probably escaped by now.

" _Something doesn't add up…"_ thought Emilia.

"Indeed." Charybdis continued on from where Cerberus left off. "Otherwise, if we are not the culprits, then it means it would have to be one of you... right?"

Her keen stormy eyes turned to Emilia, Ram, Garfiel, and Beatrice one at a time.

Emilia gasped.

"T-that's…"

"And certainly… there's no way one of you would even dream about killing that girl… right~?" Scylla added with a rather smug look. "Or perhaps, am I mistaken?"

"Damn right! There's no fucking way any of them would kill Rem!" Subaru guaranteed with anger in his voice.

There's no way someone as innocent as Beatrice would ever hurt anyone!

There's no reason for Garfiel to hurt Rem!

There's no way in hell Ram would kill her own sister!

And Emilia… there's no way someone as kind-hearted as Emilia would ever do something horrible like this!

Therefore, it's obvious who's responsible for Rem's murder!

The Witch of Greed's servants!

Subaru's intense glare was directed towards them. There's no doubt… that he already made up his mind.

"H-hold on, Subaru…" Emilia stammered nervously.

There's wrath in his eyes.

Fists clenched… animalistic… primal rage…

She didn't like that expression on Subaru.

"C-could it be… someone from the outside? Someone we don't know who's also here… maybe we were followed… or something like that…" She presented that theory.

"Unfortunately, Emilia-sama, you have seen everyone who's currently present inside this mansion."

Cerberus killed that line of reasoning for her.

"H-how can you be so sure of that?!"

"Heh. It's simple. Because we are the proud furniture of the Witch of Greed. Letting an uninvited guest inside this mansion would be one of the greatest shame for us. Trust me. There's no way an _uninvited guest_ would be able to slip past us. We swear it on our Lady's name."

"I-I see. If you swore it on Echidna's name, then…"

Then, it's very likely that the one who butchered Rem _must_ be standing among them inside this room. And Subaru, who trusted his companions, would never suspect any of them. Thus, in his perspective, there's absolutely no doubt who committed the murder.

Emilia understood Subaru's reasoning. But even so, she still didn't feel comfortable about it. There's just something that didn't feel right.

" _As I was thinking, it just doesn't add up."_ She thought to herself once again. _"It's not that I'm defending the servants. I do believe them to be the most suspicious as well. But, I just don't understand… the way they act is strange. Furthermore, they have neither accepted or denied their involvement. What game are they trying to play here?"_

"Haha…"

Subaru chuckled darkly.

He paused briefly before he continued speaking.

"I'm glad you understand. Then I'm sure you'd also understand what we're about to do next…" He gave the witch's servants another piercing glare. "Ram! Garfiel!"

On cue, the two immediately understood his intentions.

Emilia wanted to stop what's about to happen. She wanted everyone to stop and _think_ first before they do something reckless. Unfortunately for her, she didn't even have the time to make her proposal. Thus, she can't do anything but watch... **_like always._**

Garfiel and Ram have already started making their move.

Garfiel lunged towards the servants.

Ram raised her right arm towards the servants.

"El Fura!"

She called forth a magical wind blast, threatening to cut whoever it hits.

Scylla swiftly pulled out a mid-sized black blade, blocking the patch of a lunging Garfiel. By the end of her move, she had her blade pointed directly against his neck, stopping him on his track.

Meanwhile, Ram's magic didn't have any effect… as if it disappeared into nothingness. The one responsible for her magic's failure must be Charybdis. Like Ram, she had an arm raised… as if she stopped the pink-haired maid's magic with her bare hand.

"What?!" Ram exclaimed in surprise.

"Grrrr…" Garfiel growled lowly.

"…" Charybdis closed her eyes and sighed.

"Fufu~. This blade's very sharp, you know~. Hmm~, it can even cut a boulder with a slight graze~. Fufu~." Scylla informed Garfiel, a hint of maniacal excitement shining in her eyes.

"Scylla, please… be careful with that blade…" Cerberus shook his head, then turned to Subaru. "I do understand and respect your intentions, Natsuki Subaru-san. I do understand your suspicion and your thirst for revenge. Your reaction is completely understandable under the circumstances. However… we do apologize for this rather… unfortunate situation, but I would like to once again remind you that we are the proud furniture of the witch. Simply getting killed would put shame on our Lady's reputation. Therefore, it is simply not an option."

"Shut the hell up! Don't fuck with us!" Subaru yelled.

"Heh! Don't ya underestimate us!" Garfiel warned before performing a backflip, kicking himself away from Scylla in the process.

Once Garfiel managed to put some distance away from Scylla, Ram tried her magic again.

"El Fura!"

However, just like last time. It had no effect. It simply disappeared before Charybdis.

"El Fura!"

Another try, another failed attempt.

Ram gritted her teeth, annoyed by the uselessness of her magic.

"What's going on?" Subaru asked.

"I-I don't know…" Beatrice stammered. "I-I can sense Ram's spells disappearing near that girl, I suppose!"

Regardless of the ineffectiveness of Ram's magic, Garfiel charged towards Scylla. Using his superior speed, he's able to avoid her blade, before kicking it off her hand. With the servant now wide open without her blade, he started swinging a fist towards her face. Unfortunately for Garfiel, it appears he underestimated the servant's speed, and she was able to duck down and avoid his punch.

After their first few exchanges, they locked on an intriguing close combat battle. Scylla tried to push him back, while he tried to find an opening to knock her out. She was able to avoid all of his strikes like a graceful dancer, dodging all of his attacks with absolute perfection. On the other hand, while far from elegant and graceful like the black-haired servant, he managed to either blocked or dodged her attempts to push him back.

They were able to match each other's speed despite having completely different fighting styles.

It was a battle between Garfiel's speed and ferociousness against Scylla's speed and elegance!

To the viewers of the fight, it was like watching a complex and unique waltz... albeit with one side trying to demolish his partner. It's a fascinating waltz, nonetheless... it's something that the viewers wouldn't mind to continue watching on, allured by its strangeness. Regrettably, with the exchanges continuing to result in stalemates, Garfiel eventually pulled back to put some distance between them again.

And the waltz was over for the moment.

"Not bad. Fufu~." She complimented.

"Coulda said da same bout ya!"

There's usually no one who can keep up with him when it comes to close combat. So, this was quite a surprise.

"Well, then," Scylla smirked.

She pulled out four smaller knife-sized black blades and grasped them between her right fingers, pointing them towards him.

"Would you like to come dance again~?"

Garfiel's eyes narrowed.

He didn't know whether he and Ram have the advantage. For now, it appears the exchanges were resulting in stalemates; Ram's ineffective magic against Charybdis, and his inability to get past Scylla.

There's one daunting fact, however. So far, the servants have been fighting a defensive battle and haven't bothered making a true offensive move. Not to mention, Cerberus hasn't made a move at all.

Are they simply playing around? If they start being on the offensive, would the tide of the battle turn to their favor?

He was about to seriously start thinking whether he has to resort to Beatification when…

Suddenly, an idea arose inside his mind and he readied himself for another try.

"Fufu~. Give it your best shot, boy~." She dared.

"Ya got it!"

Garfiel grinned and lunged.

Unfortunately for Scylla, it appears Garfiel isn't targeting her at all. Instead, he charged past her towards Charybdis! He intended to go after the white-haired servant!

After all, this wasn't a one on one battle between them. Technically, it's supposed to be five vs three! Their group against the Witch of Greed's servants! And Garfiel simply took advantage of that fact. A fact that Scylla seems to have forgotten.

The black-haired servant certainly wasn't expecting that move. They had such a thrilling waltz that she was hell-bent on continuing on with it! So, he was able to easily get past her just like that!

Charybdis realized his intent and jumped out of the way to avoid his initial punch. Unfortunately, she didn't possess the same speed as Scylla. Thus, she wasn't able to avoid his second attempt and she took a booming kick straight to the chest, which would have sent her crashing to the ground if she wasn't able to maintain her excellent balance.

Garfiel wanted to continue his ambush and overwhelm the servant. However, Charybdis quickly recovered and raised an arm.

He doesn't know what it is exactly, but there seems to be something lurking in front of the girl. However, whatever it is, it cannot be seen!

But, there's no doubt… that whatever it is, it spells trouble. There's something very ominous about it. Thus, Garfiel can't help but halt his attack and jumped back.

"What the…"

Meanwhile…

Finding an opening Garfiel provided, Ram immediately raised an arm again.

"El Fura!"

This time, her spell targeted Scylla.

Despite her great speed, the black-haired servant barely managed to avoid it. The wind spell collided against the left side of her body, resulting in numerous cuts throughout her outfit.

Splash!

Blood trickled down her left arm, chest, stomach, leg, and knee.

"Heh. Physical attacks work against her, alright!" Garfiel proclaimed with a grin, glaring at Charybdis. "But…"

" _The heck's hidin' in front of er?"_ He wondered.

"They caught us off-guard," Charybdis stated with a frown. "How shameful."

"Fufu~. If that was a more powerful spell, perhaps, I would have been done for~. Fufufufufufufufufufufufufufu~." Scylla, who was now leaning slightly to the right to support the damage done to the left side of her body, giggled, licking her blood through her finger. "How interesting~. I-I want to play now! Cerberus~. May I have permission~? Fufu~."

"Tsk." Ram clicked her tongue and cursed herself for getting caught in the moment and not following up with another spell.

Charybdis was able to recover by now. So, the white-haired servant would most likely make her spells "disappear" if she tried again.

Regardless, it appears they now have a solution towards this predicament, at least; Garfiel must preoccupy Charybdis so Ram's magic won't be canceled out. Although, Ram doesn't think Garfiel's trick would work again. They would have to make it happen by force.

It would be a boost if Beatrice and Emilia can jump in and join the skirmish, but it appears Cerberus was preventing them from making any move.

He had been standing in front of Subaru, Emilia, and Beatrice ever since the exchanges began. While he looked composed despite the situation, one can't help but think he'll pull the trigger as soon as any of them dare to join the fray.

Perhaps, the uncertainty of his capabilities was causing Emilia and Beatrice some hesitation. Scylla and Charybdis already proved to be very difficult to deal with… and apparently, Cerberus ranked higher than both. So, it's only reasonable to believe he would be even more difficult than both servants.

Thus, by simply just standing there… he proved to be a troublesome deterrent.

Nevertheless…

Scylla pulled out four more knife-sized black blades, in which she grasped between her left fingers. With both of her hands now filled with blades, she pointed them towards both Ram and Garfiel.

A dark, violent purple aura started surrounding her. Likewise, purple glow outlined her blades.

"You know what~? I'll take you on both~. Come on~. Let's plaaaaaaay~. Chaaaaaaary~. Please, stay out of this~. FufufufufufufufufufufufufufuFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUHYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Her injuries don't seem to be affecting her anymore. Despite the blood continuing to trickle, she's able to ignore them naturally as if she wasn't even injured in the first place.

"What shall we do?" Charybdis asked Cerberus. "It's happening again. She's losing her marbles."

"This is getting out of hand. For now, let us retreat." Cerberus said calmly.

"B-but, I want to play!" Scylla protested against his order.

"Scylla." Cerberus glared at her sternly. "You would not want to displease Lady Echidna, would you?"

"Ah…"

Suddenly, she was dumbfounded, as if a parent told her to come home before she can start playing a wonderful game with the other kids outside.

"F-Fine… I-I will never displease Milady…"

Left with no other choice, she pouted and childishly slammed her blades away on the ground. Then, she crossed her arms in disappointment.

Ram and Garfiel's gazes met, baffled by Scylla's child-like tantrum. They were unsure what to make of the recent development.

Taking advantage of their uncertainty…

"Well then, if you would please excuse us." Cerberus bid them farewell.

"Hey! Don't think I'd let you all run away like cowards!" Subaru yelled, grabbing his whip stored inside his tracksuit.

Forget about the uncertainty over Cerberus… he will never let them run away like this! Like hell, he'd let Rem's killers escape!

He swung his whip towards them. However, before it hit them, the servants' bodies dispersed into hundreds of glowing white butterflies, swirling around the room before they scattered away.

Regardless, he didn't stop swinging his whip around, fruitlessly attempting to hit the retreating butterflies.

"DAMN IT! DIE! DIE! DIE! ALL OF YOU! DIE!"

He screamed out of his lungs as he continued swinging around wildly.

"S-Subaru, please stop…" Emilia said quietly as she embraced him from the back, holding him tightly.

"B-but, Emilia-tan… t-t-they… they killed Rem…"

"I-I'm so sorry, Subaru…" She whispered.

"… t-they…" He stammered, unable to say anything more.

More tears silently fell out of his eyes.

Then, he crashed on his knees.

Emilia didn't let go of her embrace as she hugged him tighter.

Once again, silence dominated the room.

Perhaps, the fight momentarily took their attention away from what happened. But now, they were forced to face the cruel reality once again.

It was there for them to see...

Rem's corpse... had their undivided attention again.

Ironically, maybe they should thank the witch's servants for providing that distraction...

Garfiel and Beatrice stood helplessly, not knowing what to do or say.

Then, there's Ram who's dealing with a conflict inside her mind.

How… should she feel… about the blue-haired girl who was hanged and cruelly mutilated… the blue-haired girl who looked so pitiful before her?

Should she feel sad? Angry? Relieved?

She continued staring at the grotesque remains of the girl with that conflict in mind.

" _Is she really… my sister… Rem… Rem?"_

Meanwhile, Emilia continued embracing the fragile Subaru.

She didn't want to let him go…

Because she knew…

She knew that… as he did before… he will commit suicide in order to active Return by Death and prevent Rem's death in the next loop.

She felt she's very selfish…

And a terrible person…

Because by her desire not to let Subaru die…

It would also mean the demise of Rem…

By letting Subaru "Return by Death," it would give them the chance of saving Rem before this inexplicable murder even took place. On the other hand, by preventing him from "Returning by Death," it would mean letting Rem's death become permanent with no hope of salvation.

Perhaps, she's only making excuses… excuses to justify her decision.

But…

She had promised to herself… that she won't let Subaru experience death anymore.

And so, she has no choice but to let Rem stay dead.

* * *

" _Subaru will never experience death again."_

At least, that's what she wished for.

* * *

Unfortunately for Emilia, there's no way to save a man hell-bent on meeting death. If one desires death more than anything else, then they will meet death in one way or another. Nothing can stop a man who desires death.

And so, at some point, Subaru managed to slip out of her hold, yelling frantically…

"I'M SORRY, EMILIA-TAN! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I'M SORRY… I DON'T WANT TO DO SOMETHING AWFULLY PAINFUL LIKE THIS AGAIN… B-BUT… I HAVE TO SAVE REM!"

Thus, before anyone can really react, he grabbed three of the blades Scylla threw on the ground and stabbed his neck with all three.

It seems…

Scylla's boast of her blades' sharpness wasn't an exaggeration after all.

The three blades easily stuck out of the opposite end from where Subaru stabbed his neck from.

It completely tore his throat apart.

And an unpleasant mesh of organs and blood spilled from the cut.

Blood gurgled out of his mouth.

Then, he wordlessly crashed on the ground.

"SUBARUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Emilia cried and rushed over his body.

A look of absolute horror filled Beatrice's expression as she slumped down next to his body.

He's gone… he's really gone…

The boy who saved her from loneliness…

The boy who promised to keep her by his side…

He's really gone.

She was shaking without restraints… sobbing… incoherently stammering pitiful whimpers…

Likewise, horror and shock also overwhelmed Ram and Garfiel.

They stood helplessly… hopelessly… not knowing what to do.

Garfiel crashed on his knees, with his mouth agape.

Ram stared wide-eyed at Subaru's unmoving body… and for the first time in a very long time, she completely lost her composed demeanor.

… and tears fell out of her eyes.

Her usual sharp, intimidating eyes… were now filled with disbelief and regrets.

Emilia grasped his unmoving face with a gentle hand.

Some say that a peaceful expression upon death is the best type of death one could possibly experience. But for Subaru… his expression is that of complete agony.

"S-Subaru…" Emilia sobbed. "I-I failed you… I-I failed my promise… I-I-I'm really hopeless… aren't I?"

She hugged his corpse and rested her head against his chest.

Some of his blood spilled over to her, tainting her ethereal silver hair with red.

But, it didn't matter anymore. Nothing matters anymore.

" _There's no point in continuing this..."_

The situation is completely hopeless and unsalvageable. So, she'll wait until Return by Death activates. There's nothing else that can be done.

This will be the first time Return by Death will happen ever since she learned about it. So, there's a lot of uncertainty over what will happen. Is she even going to remember what happened in this "failed loop?" What if she doesn't? Then, she's just going to be as useless and helpless as ever. Is that it?!

" _Surely, there has to be a reason why Echidna told me about Return by Death."_

Hopefully, she'll keep her memories, so she can do her best to avert this disaster in the next loop. For now, it's best to wait it out and see what happens.

But…

Doesn't something feel wrong?

Why hasn't Return by Death activated by now?

How long does it usually take to activate?

Doesn't it activate as soon as Subaru gets killed?

"H-how long?" She asked no one in particular.

The others heard her question, but they had no idea what she was inquiring for. So, they ignored her.

An hour passed.

And nothing changed.

Another hour passed.

And nothing changed.

Another hour passed.

And still… nothing changed.

A few hours passed…

And it was now night time.

And yet…

Nothing changed.

Rem's mutilated body was still hanged.

Subaru's body, with his throat impaled by blades, still laid on the ground.

Beatrice was still lying down motionless on the ground.

Ram and Garfiel were both standing, lost and still unable to process everything that took place.

Emilia still clutched on Subaru…

Finally, a new wave of realization hit her.

Return by Death hasn't activated.

No. It's not going to activate.

So, she raised herself and shook Subaru's body violently.

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GO BACK ALREADY! HEY!"

Her sudden outburst snapped the others out of their state of despair.

Beatrice forced herself to stand, unsettled by Emilia's sudden words.

"Emilia-sama!" Ram gasped as she rushed towards the half-elf's side and held her arms. "C-calm yourself, Emilia-sama!"

"NO! THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO BE CALM, DAMN IT!" She continued shaking him violent, freeing herself from Ram's hold. "GRRGGHHH! GO BACK ALREADY!"

"Emilia-sama!"

" _I know Echidna warned me about this… b-but… to hell with it! I have no other choice!"_ The half-elf thought to herself. _"If it's not going to activate… then, I'm just going to ask_ _ **her**_ _. As Echidna warned, she may kill me… but… this is the only way!"_

"WHY?! W-WHY AREN'T YOU DOING ANYTHING! S-SATELLA! T-THAT'S RIGHT! SATELLA! DO SOMETHING, SATELLA! MAKE HIM GO BACK! SATELLA!"

"Huh?"

Ram let go of the half-elf's arms and stumbled backward.

"Satella? What are you talking about, Emilia-sama?!"

"SATELLA! DAMN YOU, SATELLA! DAMN YOU! DO SOMETHING! SATELLA! DO SOMETHING! SATELLA!"

She continued yelling without restraint.

"SATELLA! YOU LOVE HIM TOO, DON'T YOU?! SO WHY? WHY ARE JUST LETTING IT END LIKE THIS?! SATELLA!"

…

"Y-YOU CAN HEAR ME, RIGHT?!"

…

"I KNOW YOU CAN! SO, DO SOMETHING!"

…

"SATELLA!"

Emilia continued screaming Satella's name again and again.

At this point, her throat feels a little sore from all the screaming.

And yet...

Satella hadn't shown up.

She hadn't responded to her call.

Emilia collapsed on the ground.

After everything that has been happening recently… after learning everything she had about Subaru and Return by Death…

... she couldn't take it anymore.

And so, she broke down and exposed her weakness.

She hugged her knees and started sobbing.

She wanted to do something.

She wanted to do anything.

She wanted to give it her all.

She wanted to make everything alright…

And still, she wasn't able to do anything.

When she was screaming for Satella to "do something," perhaps, in a way, she was also communicating to her own self… to "do something."

But… what else can she really do in this situation?

Ram ran to her side again and attempted to comfort her.

"Don't worry. We'll somehow get through this, Emilia-sama. I'll personally make sure we can. You can count on me." The pink-haired maid whispered. "It won't be easy... no, that's a gross understatement. It will be almost impossible... but, remember... there's still us. We have to survive."

However, in this situation that seems to be irreversible… simply getting through this is far from enough. In fact, that would be the easy part. The challenge would be, what happens next if they did somehow get through this?

In other words, how can anyone possibly hope to move on from this?


End file.
